Second time my wife got DCIS, what are her options?

JJFer

My wife was diagnosed with DCIS grade 3 November 2016 she had a lumpectomy and 15 radiation treatments ended in January of 2017 Now at her yearly mammogram this week 11/8 they found unidentified calcifications and did a biopsy and found DCIS again near the same location as last time. Here are her questions?

1. has anyone had another leucotomy with radiation given again?
2. Has anyone just had a second lumpectomy with no radiation?
3. she is trying to avoid a mastectomy and looking for alternatives you may have exsperienced.

Thank you in advance for your input. Best Regards, "The Worried Husband"

Moderators

Dear JJFer,

Welcome to the BCO community. We are sorry that your wife's diagnosis has brought your here but glad that you reached out. You may also want to review the topics in the Second Breast Cancer forum. You may be better able to locate some whose experience is more like your wife's experience there. Let us know if we can help you navigate your way around there. The Mods

Sourisou

Hi JJFer, I'm really sorry about your wife recurrence.

In my experience, doctors will not give radiation twice in the same area. Since your wife has a recurrence and a grade 3 DCIS, I wouldn't be surprised her doctors push for mastectomy. I was diagnosed a few months ago with DCIS, but since I had radiation to the chest 18 years ago in the same area for another cancer, my doctors would not allow for more, as I had already received the lifetime dose (it's just too dangerous for the lungs, heart, remaining breast tissues, etc...). I had a mastectomy and I must say so far I'm very happy; I felt virtually no pain and the reconstruction result 2 weeks post surgery is surprisingly satisfying. I would have preferred to keep my old breast of course but to me the risks were not worth it.

There are some great threads in the DCIS forums that can give you a better understanding of lumpectomy vs mastectomy (the sticky one called "Lumpectomy vs mastectomy: why did you chose your route" is especially great). I hope other members can enlighten you if they've chosen a succesful alternative route, and in the meantime I wish you both all the best.

Annette47

Unfortunately, I have to agree with the previous poster. They will not do radiation on the same area twice, and with a high-grade (ie. aggressive) DCIS, they will most likely push for mastectomy. The other thing to think about is that if it came back in under a year, it’s more likely that it was there all along and just not identified. Some kinds of DCIS are what they call multi-focal meaning that they can occur in several patches at once. I’d be concerned about what else might be hiding in the breast if this part wasn’t identified the first time.

At the time I chose my treatment plan, I was told that if it comes back in the same breast, that’s what would have to happen, and in fact that recently happened to a friend of mine whose DCIS recurred after 2 years. That said, ultimately the decision is up to your wife as to how to proceed, as doctors can only make suggestions about treatment, and she should be sure she has all relevant information before making any decisions.

MTwoman

I agree with Annette, I had multi-focal DCIS and the other 2 areas of DCIS were not found on any imaging until I had an mri recommended by my second opinion pathologist (he is an expert in dcis). I had the mri after my lx, and they found 2 more areas, which meant that mx was recommended. It was not what I originally wanted, but I've been NED for 14 almost 15 years. If I may ask, what leaves you wife wanting to "avoid mx" and would she be interested in coming on the site and going through a few threads? There is one in particular about "lx vs mx, why did you pick what you did" that could be very helpful. I'm glad to post the link if she's interested.

JJFer

Thank you I will look up that thread. J

JJFer

Thank you all for your information. We have our consultation appointment tomorrow, however I was able to talk to her doctor on the phone and it looks like a Mastectomy is her only option. The good news is my wife already has breast implants so they will be able to take out the breast tissue then insert an implant that is one size up from the one she has to make up for the tissue removed. My wife's doctor is an expert in DCIS at DUKE and was named by Time Magazines top 100 most influential people, so we have a ton of confidence in her ability. She did however say this is the fastest she has seen DCIS return (8 months since the last radiation treatment) Surprisingly my wife has been very positive and strong about the MX and looking forward to getting it done and moving on to Christmas! Thank you all for your support! J

AlwaysSunnyInPA

are you seeing Hwang? I have my first appt with her this week Wednesday. I’m coming from Philadelphia to see her.

JJFer

Yes that is her doctor. Definitely worth the trip, she is the best! Well wishes for you and your journey. Let me know if I can help with any questions as you go forward. Dr. Blitzblau is an awesome radiation oncologist too!