PLEASE READ, especially if you were diagnosed with DCIS!!!

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Trvler
Trvler Member Posts: 3,159
edited May 2016 in Just Diagnosed
What If Everything Your Doctors Told You About Breast Cancer Was Wrong?

For years, scientists have known that mammograms are largely ineffective. Why can't we get that message across?






http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2015/10/faulty-research-behind-mammograms-breast-cancer

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  • Trvler
    Trvler Member Posts: 3,159
    edited May 2016

    Sorry. My post is not going through right. If you were diagnosed with DCIS, PLEASE READ THIS ARTICLE. Medical mistakes are not the THIRD leading cause of death in this country. Don't be someone's mistake. READ THIS!

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  • Annette47
    Annette47 Member Posts: 957
    edited May 2016

    This article, as do many others over simplifies the over treatment of DCIS issue.

    The reality is that many cases of DCIS, particularly low grade ones will probably never go on to cause any issues. But some will, and while we know some of the risk factors (higher grade, larger size), there are no absolutes.

    The problem is, that at this point we have NO WAY of distinguishing one type of DCIS from the other, and no way to be sure that a particular lesion is only DCIS until it is removed. So choosing to not remove a known DCIS runs the risk of leaving in place an invasive cancer and hoping that you notice it in time to do something about it; or at the very least something that might turn into an invasive cancer and again, hoping that you find it in time.

    As someone who’s tiny little area of intermediate grade DCIS found on a routine mammogram had already become invasive (so counter to what might typically be expected), I am perhaps biased towards treating it. Each person has to understand the risks and benefits of particular courses of action, and while I think it is a problem that many women do overestimate their risks, it could be equally if not more dangerous to underestimate them.

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  • Trvler
    Trvler Member Posts: 3,159
    edited May 2016

    Yes, I totally agree with you. Apparently, it is riskier in younger women as opposed to older women as well.

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  • Capermom
    Capermom Member Posts: 39
    edited May 2016

    I'm starting to think the Mamagram is what caused my new lumps.I had ne small lump and after the mamagram came the pain and this new area of thickening ! MRI in 10 days.I will never have another mamgram again. Of course I watched "the truth about cancer" and this dr saod that if you have a small cancer then get a mamgram and squish it it will cause it to spread😨😨😨😨

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  • cbowle
    cbowle Member Posts: 55
    edited May 2016

    Annette47, I too am not taking any chances. I was prepared to hear I would need a mastectomy and was pleased when my doctor decided to do a lumpectomy and radiation. For me the risks of surgery and radiation posing harm are far less than the risk of the cancer becoming worse later on. I doubt the fear that it may return will ever go away but I feel better knowing I am taking steps to try to prevent that from happening.

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  • exbrnxgrl
    exbrnxgrl Member Posts: 12,424
    edited May 2016

    There is no science basedevidence that mammograms cause cancer to spread .

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  • jc254
    jc254 Member Posts: 439
    edited May 2016

    The problem is exactly as stated above. There is no way of knowing if your DCIS will turn invasive. If you take the watch and wait option, what exactly are you watching for? In my case, I was diagnosed with DCIS after several mammograms and an MRI. So sure was my doctor that it was pure DCIS that we delayed surgery for 5 months while I participated in a clinical trial. Imagine my surprise and concern when an invasive component was found after my lumpectomy. This happened at the University of Pennsylvania, a leading NCI designated cancer center. Yes, there are women being over treated, but until they can determine with accuracy which ones, it is foolish in my opinion, to do nothing.

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  • Noni
    Noni Member Posts: 327
    edited May 2016

    I am in that very small percentage whose DCIS turned invasive. Here I am 8 years later with mets to lung, bone, and lymph nodes.

    Please don't take DCIS lightly.

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  • Momof6littles
    Momof6littles Member Posts: 184
    edited May 2016

    I am confident that, in 10 years, they will be able to test our in situ lesions and be able to determine which are more likely to become invasive at a molecular level. But not yet. Right now, as a pathologist I spoke to about it said, "That's the million dollar question."

    Someone I know who does research at Rush in Chicago told me I should be less concerned about if/when it becomes invasive, and more excited about all of the great targeted treatment out there now!...Um, OK. But I would really rather not go through treatment. So by all means, help us understand when preventative measures are warranted.

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  • cbowle
    cbowle Member Posts: 55
    edited May 2016

    jc254 and Noni, those are examples of why I am ok with my surgeon and radiologist being cautious. If I think this is inconvenient now then I'm afraid it will be very inconvenient later. Thanks for sharing.

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