PATM,

Sorry you had to go through a bad first appointment.  Read the thread titled 'stop minimizing my diagnosis' and you will see that your dr is not alone.  For whatever the reason, some drs and well meaning friends, seem to downplay this diagnosis.  It is cancer, it is (thankfully) not invasive (yet).  We are a fortunate group in that we do get the earliest diagnosis with the best prognosis, but it is still cancer and needs to be treated as such.  And we as cancer patients need to be treated with respect and not feel like we are being patronized.

I was diagnosed Nov 12 and just recieved my surgery date for Jan 25.  I am having BMX with diep reconstruction.

Good  luck with the second surgeon.  Fortunately, they are not all like your first one.

After my biopsy I was told I did have cancer -- DCIS is cancer.  I went to a surgeon who told me that DCIS grows very slowly and I need not worry.  After my first lumpectomy, it turned out I had IDC (invasive cancer) that had not shown up on Mammogram or on MRI I had had.  So a DCIS diagnosis CAN be treated, yes, with lumpectomy; but it depends on how large it is (mine was in two places) and also how extensive.  I had a second lumpectomy that still didnt' get it all and ended up with a unilateral MX.  I am happy I did that because I feel certain the cancer is gone (since all breast tissue is removed).  I also had chemo prior to this final surgery (which I just had last week).  In retrospect, a lot of doctors at first told me it was nothing to worry about, it was stage 0, etc... and as some find (like Nedeza who posted above me)... the diagnosis stays there at stage 0.  In my case it didn't and the IDC was not identified/identifiable until after a large amount of tissue was remove from my breast.  The biopsy (sterotactic needle biopsy) did not take enough tissue for them to find the IDC and my BS (my second, I dumped the one who told me that DCIS takes years to develop into cancer) told me that needle biopsies are not reliable (only 50%) for detecting invasive cancer. 

I write all of this to say to you: follow your instincts and find a doctor who can trust, who takes your situation seriously and leaves you feeling cared for.  Do research on lumpectomy/radiation vs. MX.  Know all the facts and details of your pathology.  Knowledge is power

Cheers,

Lilah

I think going to see someone else is the best idea.

Just vote with your feet.

A person can get themselves blue in the face trying to decide about DCIS. In the end it needs to be removed. You're going to pay someone to do that and they should act nice.

My experience has been that if you get cross-ways with a doctor and his/her staff you'll never be happy with them. So just move on.

I agree with everyone else.....find another doc.

My BS told me upfront that some people would tell me that my DCIS was not cancer, was pre-cancer, or whatetever.  He made it clear that there can be no "pre-cancer"....then when I had the appt with the onc. (the one to whom he referred me), the first thing he said was, "isn't it good to know you don't have cancer?"  I was dumbfounded.  He was thorough, and his recommendation was the same as my BS, but I don't like it that he's not really treating this as cancer.  Even the PS is treating it as the cancer it is.....sigh.  Yes, I'm going to look for another onc. 

Good Luck with your lumpectomy PatM. I think the decision that was made is the correct one. I hope you will be ok. I know you will. I just wanted to add, my doc announced I didnt have cancer, then I was handed a cancer bag and now am in radiation. I am still mad that they downplay DCIS. They need to be honest!

Best of Luck,

and Happy Holidays,

Jules

Hi Pat,

So glad you found a doctor that took the time to explain why they recommended lumpectomy.  I just had my wire-guided lumpectomy on 12/21.  And, my DCIS was Grade 3 with necrosis, and multi-centric.  Unlike you, I desperately wanted lumpectomy over mx.  This was my own personal desire and I would never fault or judge anyone who chooses mx.  I never told my BS that my preference was for lumpectomy and once he saw my mammo slides, he called to tell me that I was a candidate for lumpectomy.  I was so relieved.  I will now do radiation and Tamoxifen. 

You have Grade 1 DCIS.  Your chances of recurrence are very low, with either lumpectomy or mx.  Very glad your second doctor didn't downplay the dx and gave you the respect of explaining why he recommended what he did.