DCIS ......trying to decide about waiting

Jacqeline

I am 55. Went thru hip replacement April 6, diagnosed with DCIS on July 20. High grade, ck 5/6. Size: 1 cm.

Have been doing lots of research. Lots of articles about overtreatment of DCIS.

To top it all off, my 82 yr old father is not doing well. Marked change in the last 3 weeks (probably mini strokes, he has been diagnosed with them)

And of course, money is a concern. So here is what I am thinking.......I would like to try some natural things, maybe detoxes, I take Noni, maybe try to boost my immune system. I would like to wait until the new calendar year and then make decision about treatment (hoping that perhaps with diet changes, mass may shrink or disappear) Plus, could focus on Dad and Mom to see how quickly he deteriorates. Added benefit would be that all treatment would occur within same calendar year rather than across 2.

Your thoughts, PLEASE!

Leatherette

Jacqeline,

The high grade concerns me a bit. If you look at my situation (below), it may make sense.Has anyone given a hint that they are concerned there may be some IDC in there? I would weigh in with your doctors on your plan. It may be totally appropriate. The decisions become much clearer when you get more info. You may want to look at the alternative treatments threads for likeminded people. I personally do not believe diet can shrink tumors, but what do I know? Best of luck with your diagnostic details and decisions.

L.

GreenEyes81

I am also concerned with the high grade comment, that really can be a key factor. However, both of my dx were grade 2 after surgery they changed to grade 1. However....I went from surgury August 2017, got the all clear. January had my 6 month check up--all clear. FELT NOTHING. Middle of Febuary I felt my first lump, it was back. I went from feeling nothing to feeling it what seemed like over night...and that was with 'grade 1'.

You can wait, everyone is different..in my case the first time---my sergen didn't think treatment would have been any different had it been 6 months later before they found it.

Dense breasts? Have you had an MRI? My MRI found two lumps missed by mammo/ultrasound. If not, maybe get a MRI and try your best to confirm there is no other lumps. I also had a full mix

Just keep in mind....it takes one cell to go from stage one to stage 4.

oxygen18

Natural remedies can be useful adjuncts to treatment, but I would not entrust a high grade dcis to remedies that have not been shown effective via clinical trials. Too much of a gamble.

If you get treated now, it could take less time and out of pocket costs than if you waited till next yr.

Take care.

Icietla

Welcome, Jacqueline. I am very sorry about your diagnosis and the other difficult circumstances for your family.

I think some of the talk about DCIS overtreatment supposes that many DCIS tumors would never become life-threatening. Thing is, at present, there is no way of knowing which ones would remain in situ and which ones would become invasive. I think some of the talk about DCIS overtreatment is some Doctors' distaste for mastectomy surgery for patients whose tumors are not widespread.

Until after your treatment surgery, you will know only what type of tissue was within the track of that biopsy needle.

Your immune system is probably just fine. Cancer cells lie about what they are to the immune cells making the patrol rounds, see -- in the ordinary course of the disease, the (otherwise perfectly good) immune cells are tricked because the cancerous cells know how to pass themselves off as normal tissue that belongs there.

Breastcancer.org does NOT recommend or endorse alternative medicine.