Cured or Not Cured?

Hi Percy, first of all, yippee, you are done with the treatment. With "pure DCIS" when the cancer is removed/treated, it's not really a chronic illness. It's more like a cure.  I guess, as in your case, when you have a small microinvasion, and you are Stage 1a, there can be more of a lingering feeling that you have that chronic illness.  Ironically, given that I had a large area of high grade DCIS with necrosis and several re-excisions and I'm not taking hormonals, my recurrence risk is slightly more than negligible (around 12 percent, but who really knows?). At the same time, I don't feel like I have a chronic illness, and don't worry about a new primary in the other breast.  The only thing is that I'm changed from where I was before.  I'm normal, but it's a new normal. I just feel slightly more vulnerable than I used to.  Anyway, not to be Debby Downer, but after a certain age, there are plenty of other things that can go wrong.  All we can do is try to live a healthy life.  My 2 cents.  And we'll both try to keep up the exercise.  I had already started it several years prior to the diagnosis, and lost lots of weight.  I think that those actions saved my life.  Given my family history, I might have easily gone on to invasive bc., but I didn't.

Interesting thread!

I was Dx with grade 3 DCIS in October 2012 and had my UMX surgery just before Christmas that year. 

When I received my final Pathology result, my Surgeon read out and explained my two pages of Pathology results. He said, "You are effectively cured!" "Your decision to remove the breast has removed all the DCIS and there was no invasion!" There will be a close watch for the next 5 years with a Yearly mammo, and 2 follow up appointments each year with him.

I doubt I will ever feel really confident that it is over. I don't believe there are too many, who have felt that fear after hearing their Dx, had life changing surgery and have lived through the waiting, for the final results, who can completely relax about it.

Are we cured after all that? I really don't know, but I can say that I think about it less now, than I did 15 months ago. There is a little of what I call, the "Jaws" music, you know that threatening music, when the shark is around, when I go to see the surgeon, and the first mammogram was a bit scary too.

I think, taking it a day at a time and looking after ourselves, is all we can do.  

From everything that I have read, DCIS, is considered curable by the experts.  But the fact that there is always a percentage quoted for risk of recurrence will never allow me to feel totally cured.  Some of us are also left with additional risk factors such as high grade or positive margin or micro-invasion or even young age, etc.  I think I may feel cured if I had a very tiny, non-aggressive dcis at age 70 years and a mx! Lol

BUT the overwhelming majority of us will never have a problem or recurrence and I would hate to waste the wonderful years ahead worrying about if the sky is falling.

Percy, wishing you many, many worriless and wonderful years ahead.  Luv

I don't know if I'd call it cured, because it can recur.  I do feel like this one particular area that they removed and radiated is gone. So that one area is "cured" in my mind.   Still there's the more frequent mammograms and having women taking Tamoxifen.  If you were cured, they'd just say have a nice day and see you in a year for your routine annual.  Honestly I worry more about heart disease than bc because my family is high risk for sudden heart attacks at young ages.  If the dcis comes back, I'll deal with it then.  I'm not taking the Tamoxifen because the risks and side effects for me outweighs the 2-3% additional benefit. 

I just wanted to add that in talking to my aunt, just this weekend, who had a BMX (and I think even reading in other threads) that as time goes on, you just don't think about this dx. She actually told me she forgets about it!

While I find it incredible 1/3 of a way through my rads, I am looking forward to the day dcis isn't quite so front and center on my brain. And it has gotten easier at different points of this process. Maybe we can be cured, but cautious because the potential risk is there. I like the idea of being cured though. I hope my RO and MO tells me that. And here's to my aunt!

Just popping in here. My Mum's surgeon told her that with early breast cancer, they are "aiming to cure". 

I guess in her case (invasive) they can probably never tell if she is one of the one's who was cured by surgery, or by surgery +  chemo + herceptin, or if she's not cured and at some point there will be a recurrence. 

I know some people really don't like the word cured, but I find even "possibly cured" or "hopefully cured" very comforting somehow. But everyone has a different way of coping with the concepts. I guess seeing it as a chronic condition might lessen some of the trauma if there is a recurrence, so whatever works for the individual.

Hi Percy,

I had a small IDC tumor seven years ago.  My radiation oncologist told me I was "cured" of that particular cancer.  On the other hand, at that time, my surgeon told me that breast cancer was now considered a chronic disease.  I know the cancer I had years ago is gone, but I also know that there is no cure for cancer.  It may or may not come back.  I've had too many friends have their cancer recur or get new primaries and mets to think I will ever be completely free of cancer.

Hope all is well with you.

Bren

I am out 2 years, and I feel cured (knock on wood).  But do we ever stop wondering?

  I was dx with DCIS in Nov 2011..Had Mx, clear margins and 0 node involvement. It was suggested to me to take tamox but I chose not to after discussing it with my onco. Anyway, my onco told me that I was 99% cured even without the Tamox. Both my doc and onco explained why I was only 99% cured instead of 100% cured. My risk of getting a recurrence or a new primary cancer is higher than that of a person that has never been diagnosed with the disease .......Now because I have had a diagnosis of bc it just means I am at higher risk than someone who hasn't therefore I cannot be considered 100% cured. I am sorry if my explanation sounds stupid but I can promise you it's been given to me by a medical professional.

  The reality of our situation is that we  lost our innocence the day we all got diagnosed with bc and we can never get that back.....so even if they could tell us that we are 100% cured of bc, I can bet you that we would still all have the little worry bug nibbling at us from time to time....once you become a member of the cancer club you are changed forever cure or not. All we can do is be grateful that we are here and gain strength from each other. It's ok to have those bad days or even weeks where we are stressed and downright scared that it may come back etc.....there are also our good days and some days that are even 'freaking brilliant' because we forget about our diagnosis . I have got amazing support here at Breastcancer.org.....it's my little haven where I come to get comfort from some really awesome people.

  Percy4...I'm starting to realise that our 'cure' is to live in the moment knowing that right now we are NED..  and do the things that make us happy. I can say this with total confidence because I too have spent what seemed like an eternity worrying about all things bc and now I only worry sometimes. To answer your question definitely....no doctor will tell you that you are 100% cured . Take care.