Newly Diagnosed DCIS

I was diagnosed with DCIS on Dec 8, 2010.  This is a non-invasive stage 0 breast cancer.  This is a slow growing BC and is not life threatenting at this stage so do not be worried about waiting 10 days.  I went 7 weeks from my diagnosis to my "elected" mastectomy.  I was given the opportunity to have a lumpectomy but with that I would have needed radiaiton and reconstruction would not look normal and there was a chance it could come back.  I elected the mastectomy with reconstruction, I had the mastectomy on Jan 26, 2010.  The anticipation was sooooo much worse and scarier then the actual mastectomy.  I am a small C.  I don't recall the size of my lump but the DCIS was in a large area of my breast so a lumpectomy would have been a loss of 25% of my breast (a whole quad).  I would have worried every day about it coming back,  Yes, take all your reports to the appointment, mammo, pathololgy, what ever you have.  Demand a Braca gene test, I tested negative.  My grandmother was a BC survivor but I am told it is mother/sister/daughter as far as hereitary. 

 You should first test for the braca gene, then you can decide if you want a double mastectomy,  I wuold have done a double if I had tested positive.

 Ask your doctor about the chances of it coming back if you opt for a lumpectomy, and what kind of treatment you will need,  With a mastectomy I did not need chemo or radiation, i was cancer free after the surgery,  If it is only one duct then maybe a lumpectomy would be the better choice for you, your doctor will be able to tell you that.

 Best of luck to you.

I would suggest getting copies of both your mammo report and your path report, and learning what they mean.  We can help you with that.  That's the only way I can think of to get more information before seeing your Dr.

Things you might want to know:  size, grade, hormone receptor status, is there only one area of concern, specific type of cell (some are more aggressive than others), whether or not there is evidence of "comedonecrosis,"  are there calcifications?

Some Drs recommend a presurgical MRI to make sure there's nothing else going on, some think it's overkill and do not believe in MRIs. 

It might be worthwhile getting the genetic test before you make any surgical decisions, but only if you think the results of the test might influence your choice.  It's definitely something worth discussing with your doctor.

Unfortunately, and with respect to Laurakay, to the best of my knowledge women do not generally have a stereotactic biopsy and no further surgery.  You will most likely have a lumpectomy or mastectomy.  That choice will be determined by the size of the DCIS in relation to the size of your breast, the rest of the factors in your pathology, and your personal preference.  If you have really small breasts, it's hard to say.  (I had D's when all this started, so it's hard for me to know what's possible in your case.)

If you have a lumpectomy you will probably have to consider radiation, if you have a mastectomy you will most likely not have radiation - but either way, it will depend on the specifics of your pathology.

If your DCIS is hormone receptor positive, you might choose to take anti-hormonal drugs as the last stage of treatment.  If your DCIS is hormone receptor negative, that won't be available.

Ask about the chances of recurrence if you have a lumpectomy v. mastectomy - that will also depend on your particular pathology.

Don't worry about waiting to see the Dr.   You're probably reeling from this news, it's an ugly shock and hard to deal with - BUT a few days (or weeks) won't make a difference.  With DCIS you have time to ask questions.  You do have to deal with this, but it's not an emergency.  Try to keep breathing.

And it's often a good idea to get a second opinion.

Many of us had difficulty sleeping (etc.) when we got the news, if that's happening to you consider asking for some antianxiety pills.  They can help.

That's all I can think of right now.

Best of luck to you!