Has anyone decided not to have rads after lumpectomy for dcis

You might want to send your slides to Dr. Michael Lagios to find out what he thinks. He feels that some women can go without rads and still be ok with DCIS. His website is here:

http://www.breastcancerconsultdr.com/

I am sending him my path slides because I want a second opinion although not about rads. I have decided to do that regardless of his thoughts. I am worried about Tamoxifen and or an AI more than rads. He is one of the doctors that developed the Van Nuys Prognostic Index where you put in your stats and it tells you what your number is and the lower the number, the less likely you have to have a recurrence. Here is the index and you can see where you stand.

https://sites.google.com/site/dciswithoutrads/van-nuys-prognostic-index

I wish you the best of luck with whatever tx you decide to have.

http://jnci.oxfordjournals.org/content/96/12/906.full

This is one of the best articles I have read to date about forgoing rads and/or tamoxifen. The fact of the matter is they just don't know all that much about DCIS although they are finding more every single day. What they have right now still shows a huge benefit of rads in recurrence rates (50%) no matter what study they use. I am leaning toward doing them. Tamoxifen is a different story and I may opt out.

Hope this helps you in some way. Warning: It is long and detailed but worth a read

After I had a lumpectomy in 2007 for DCIS, I consulted with Dr.Lagios. He used the Van Nuys Prognostic Index (VNPI) and calculated my risk of recurrence as only 4 percent without radiation. Because my risk was so low, I opted out of radiation, mainly because the 50 percent risk reduction that radiation provides would have only been 2 percent for me.

If your risk is also low and you feel comfortable opting out of radiation, you may well be able to also skip it too. However, if your actual risk is higher, it might make sense for you to have radiation. Since you can only have it once, you will want to carefully consider your risk without it vs. the benefits and risks of radiation.

Please feel free to PM or email me at lovetennis60@aol.com if you have questions. You can also read more of my story if you like at http://dciswithoutrads.com/.

Best,

Sandie

I would like to know how you are doing littlejukie?I had lumpectomy..A year later I decided to got with the tamoxifen  with no radiation..My dx was just about the same as yours...DCIS stage 0 intermediate grade..(I just started tx 5days into it)

Thank you

Barbi811

traze2222, I'm glad you checked in to let us know what you decided to do and how you are doing.  Good luck with the mammo next month!

More and more, I'm seeing women come to the board wondering if it makes sense to pass on Tamoxifen and/or radiation after a lumpectomy for DCIS.  Of course every DCIS diagnosis is different, ranging from a tiny single focus of low grade DCIS to a large area of high grade DCIS that is multi-focal.  Surgical margins differ as well.  "Clear" margins might be 2mm in one case and 2cm in another case.  

For others who are considering making the same decision you've made, do you mind sharing the specifics on your diagnosis and margins?  How large was your area of DCIS, what grade and what were the margins?   

Janet, good luck on Wednesday.  My fingers and toes will be crossed for you too!