I need your help

TatianaDen

Hello my dear people. I am 31. Never smoked, no alcohol. I trying to adhere to the healthy life, I mean, do sport, healthy food. I dont have kids (ps. before diagnosis we planned child) ..

I have Left breast, 3:00: "Ductal carcinoma in SITU(DCIS) of intermediate nuclear grade with necrosis and calcifications, displaying cribriform and solid patterns, also involving an intraductal papillary lesion. Detached cytologically similar neoplastic cells are also present".

My Mammogram is good; my genetic testing is negative; an MRI showed 8cm x 3cm x 2cm. No pains, no change something in/on breast. My understanding is that this is not necessarily cancer, but pre-cancer cells, that could possibly let become cancer. Yes Im in shocked. I try to be strong and keep positive, but very difficult..

After I got home and it all started sinking in, I started to wonder about second opinions and cant be one, I need your help! Any advice would help!!!

Can you some recommend how I need treatment?

lumpectomy with radiation or mastectomy/left breast (the right breast is everything ok)?

I have negative genetic test, how will that affect insurance in the future? How important is the genetic testing?

So many questions I don't have answers!

THANK YOU SO MUCH !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Moderators

HI Tatiana, welcome to Breastcancer.org. Sorry you're here and worried but we're glad you've found us! We know it's scary and we understand how you feel right now, so please come and vent anytime you need to. We're here for you!

Did your doctor make any treatment recommendations? If it helps, and until you get responses from other community members here, these are the standard treatment options included in our DCIS section of our main site. Although we know each individual situation is different, it may help you make the best decision along with your medical team.

• Treatment for DCIS

Let us know how you're doing!

The Mods

rosierosie

I was diagnosed with DCIS non invasive in my left breast, first I had to go to a surgeon who sent me for a stereotatic biopsy and then another mammogram to show the marker and a MRI. I had a lumpectomy with a SNB ( which did not hurt at all), tomorrow will be a week, I only took advil for the pain. I have a cut under my arm from the biopsy and a incision under my left breast not big at all.

Monday I go back to the doctor to hear what he says. I don't know my treatment plan yet, I am nervous about that try to find a support group where you live, they helped me understand what was going on, I just kept on asking my surgeon alot of questions. I hope this eased your mind a little.

april485

Hi Tatiana, first things first.

DCIS is breast cancer that is confined to the ducts and cannot metastasize to organs. That is why the "IS" is after the DC because it is in-situ cancer which means "in place" and not spread. It is the earliest form of breast cancer. Standard treatment is generally either a lumpectomy and radiation or a mastectomy. If your lesion is found to be ER positive (estrogen fed) then you may be told you should take a drug called tamoxifen for 5-10 years, but that is up to a medical oncologist to decide. You might have a test ordered called the Oncotype test for DCIS which also can help your doctors determine what treatment you would benefit from.

DCIS is never given chemo because it would not help a cancer that has no ability to go anywhere and so the treatment is considered not to have any merit in DCIS. If a second opinion would make you feel better, then you should definitely ask for one. You have plenty of time to make treatment decisions with DCIS as it is not generally considered dangerous to wait a bit.

Your age and the fact that you have necrosis makes it very likely that your doctors will want to do radiation and/or tamoxifen and be aggressive.

Hugs and best to you. Let us know how you make out and what the plan is. This is the worst time for you but once you have a plan in place, you will feel more in control.