DCIS

Hi Gerty, I dont know of any one off hand that has, but im sure there are woman who have, maybe some will come along that has and give you some advice on that,

What have you had done so far,have you had surgery, node biopsy? Im just thinking if you have only had a breast biopsy then you could go to a new dr and start all over, i guess what im saying is not let them know what you have already been told and go from there, i know that there are false positives but havnt read it being that high- i will do some research on that my self, just another bit of info, we are all in denial when we are first DX with BC it is a normal thing to feel, but if you feel like you need to do this i say go for it, good luck, and i for your sake hope it turns out bengin

warm hugs,

Debbie

I had my slides read by four pathology labs (three of which were NCI designated cancer centers), they all agreed on the diagnosis.

Getting another opinion on your slides should be relatively easy, the major cancer centers do second opinions all the time.  Have you contacted one of them?

http://cancercenters.cancer.gov/cancer_centers/cancer-centers-list.html 

You might have to schedule a second opinion with one of the breast surgeons at the cancer center in order to get that pathology dep't to review your slides, but I'm not certain about that.  Normally pathologists don't have patient contact, so that's one reason why they might want you to have an app't with a surgeon - to discuss the pathologist's report.  I had a gazillion second opinions, you really shouldn't have trouble with that - unless it's an insurance issue.  I had good insurance so I don't have experience trying to navigate that problem.

If that fails, you could schedule a consultation with pathologist Dr. Michael Lagios in California.  He runs The Breast Cancer Consultation Service in Tiburon, CA.  You send him your slides and he'll send a written report and do a phone consult.  It's expensive, though.  But if you have to pay out of pocket anyway, it's probably about the same.  And worth it for the peace of mind.

Edited to add:  I was still typing while Redsox was posting.  I agree with her. 

Karen,

Since all your treatments will be based on your pathology, I would strongly suggest you get a 2nd pathology opinion. I had my pathology reviewed by a world renowned DCIS expert and patholgist, who has a consultation service that anyone can use. His website is:

http://www.breastcancerconsultdr.com/about_dr_lagios.html 

Because I got this 2nd pathology opinion, I went from needing a mastectomy to being able to skip radiation after my lumpectomy. This pathologist calculated my risk of recurrence as only 4 percent. With such a low risk, the approximate 50 percent reduction that radiation brings wasn't worth it for me.

Please also feel free to send me a private message if you would like more information or feel free to check out my website if you are interested in learning more of my story:

https://sites.google.com/site/dciswithoutrads/home

Hugs and good wishes as you make these tough decisions,

Sandie

I just had surgery on August  19th to remove DCIS.  It went well, but I'm in this weird place about what to do next.  The pathology report will be available in two weeks, which gives me some time to research and gather info.  I'm still fuzzy headed from the anesthesia.

Emotionally, I'm so grateful that it's DCIS. Then, I'm feeling weepy wishing I didn't have any of it which makes me feel like a selfish jerk thinking of those women who have to go through so much worse.  Is this normal?  All of this happened so fast beginning June 18th with my mammogram.