DCIS Treatment??
I was diagnosed with DCIS in late September, and had a lumpectomy in late November. I am now trying to decide on treatment. My tumor was small (.7 cm), and it appears that all cancer was removed with the initial biopsy. They took a good sized chunk of my breast with the lumpectomy, and that was clear. I have met with the medical and radiation oncologists, and they are pretty much leaving it up to me to decide on treatment. I will probably take an aromatase inhibitor since the tumor was 100% ER positive, but am completely up in the air about radiation. I was given personal percentages for recurrence with hormone therapy only, of 5% after 5 yrs and 8% after 10 years, based on an online app that the radiation oncologist used, but 2% and 3% with radiation and hormone therapy combined. She fed the app the various characteristics of my tumor to come up with the percentages.
Although I am meeting with the oncologist next week, and have all my questions lined up, I'm wondering if anyone here with a DCIS diagnosis has gone without radiation? It is my understanding that you can't have radiation in the same place again. and I would like to confirm this. I'm also confused about conflating percentages for the combination of radiation and hormone therapies since they have different functions (radiation to ensure all cancer is gone, hormone therapy to prevent future cancer). It seems illogical to me to lump them together.
I'm very confused and anxious about making the treatment decision, and while I know I'm lucky that they caught my cancer so early, I'm still scared. I wonder if anyone can confirm my understanding of my treatment options, and also if I should request an Oncotype DX test which I haven't had.
So great to have a forum like this!
Comments
-
Hi and welcome to the club no one wants to join.
If you scroll further down the main list of forums, you will see one specifically related to DCIS. Posting there might ensure that people with experience will see your post. I believe there are several regular posters who have foregone radiation and perhaps they can share their experience with it. In the meantime, it is correct that you cannot have radiation to the same area twice.
The Oncotype DX test that would be appropriate for you is the one for DCIS (which is different than the one for invasive cancer). It would tell you the benefit (or lack thereof) you would get from radiation, so might be useful in your case. It was only introduced a few years ago, so not all doctors are familiar with it. Again, on the DCIS forum you will find more information ...
Categories
- All Categories
- 679 Advocacy and Fund-Raising
- 289 Advocacy
- 68 I've Donated to Breastcancer.org in honor of....
- Test
- 322 Walks, Runs and Fundraising Events for Breastcancer.org
- 5.6K Community Connections
- 282 Middle Age 40-60(ish) Years Old With Breast Cancer
- 53 Australians and New Zealanders Affected by Breast Cancer
- 208 Black Women or Men With Breast Cancer
- 684 Canadians Affected by Breast Cancer
- 1.5K Caring for Someone with Breast cancer
- 455 Caring for Someone with Stage IV or Mets
- 260 High Risk of Recurrence or Second Breast Cancer
- 22 International, Non-English Speakers With Breast Cancer
- 16 Latinas/Hispanics With Breast Cancer
- 189 LGBTQA+ With Breast Cancer
- 152 May Their Memory Live On
- 85 Member Matchup & Virtual Support Meetups
- 375 Members by Location
- 291 Older Than 60 Years Old With Breast Cancer
- 177 Singles With Breast Cancer
- 869 Young With Breast Cancer
- 50.4K Connecting With Others Who Have a Similar Diagnosis
- 204 Breast Cancer with Another Diagnosis or Comorbidity
- 4K DCIS (Ductal Carcinoma In Situ)
- 79 DCIS plus HER2-positive Microinvasion
- 529 Genetic Testing
- 2.2K HER2+ (Positive) Breast Cancer
- 1.5K IBC (Inflammatory Breast Cancer)
- 3.4K IDC (Invasive Ductal Carcinoma)
- 1.5K ILC (Invasive Lobular Carcinoma)
- 999 Just Diagnosed With a Recurrence or Metastasis
- 652 LCIS (Lobular Carcinoma In Situ)
- 193 Less Common Types of Breast Cancer
- 252 Male Breast Cancer
- 86 Mixed Type Breast Cancer
- 3.1K Not Diagnosed With a Recurrence or Metastases but Concerned
- 189 Palliative Therapy/Hospice Care
- 488 Second or Third Breast Cancer
- 1.2K Stage I Breast Cancer
- 313 Stage II Breast Cancer
- 3.8K Stage III Breast Cancer
- 2.5K Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
- 13.1K Day-to-Day Matters
- 132 All things COVID-19 or coronavirus
- 87 BCO Free-Cycle: Give or Trade Items Related to Breast Cancer
- 5.9K Clinical Trials, Research News, Podcasts, and Study Results
- 86 Coping with Holidays, Special Days and Anniversaries
- 828 Employment, Insurance, and Other Financial Issues
- 101 Family and Family Planning Matters
- Family Issues for Those Who Have Breast Cancer
- 26 Furry friends
- 1.8K Humor and Games
- 1.6K Mental Health: Because Cancer Doesn't Just Affect Your Breasts
- 706 Recipe Swap for Healthy Living
- 704 Recommend Your Resources
- 171 Sex & Relationship Matters
- 9 The Political Corner
- 874 Working on Your Fitness
- 4.5K Moving On & Finding Inspiration After Breast Cancer
- 394 Bonded by Breast Cancer
- 3.1K Life After Breast Cancer
- 806 Prayers and Spiritual Support
- 285 Who or What Inspires You?
- 28.7K Not Diagnosed But Concerned
- 1K Benign Breast Conditions
- 2.3K High Risk for Breast Cancer
- 18K Not Diagnosed But Worried
- 7.4K Waiting for Test Results
- 603 Site News and Announcements
- 560 Comments, Suggestions, Feature Requests
- 39 Mod Announcements, Breastcancer.org News, Blog Entries, Podcasts
- 4 Survey, Interview and Participant Requests: Need your Help!
- 61.9K Tests, Treatments & Side Effects
- 586 Alternative Medicine
- 255 Bone Health and Bone Loss
- 11.4K Breast Reconstruction
- 7.9K Chemotherapy - Before, During, and After
- 2.7K Complementary and Holistic Medicine and Treatment
- 775 Diagnosed and Waiting for Test Results
- 7.8K Hormonal Therapy - Before, During, and After
- 50 Immunotherapy - Before, During, and After
- 7.4K Just Diagnosed
- 1.4K Living Without Reconstruction After a Mastectomy
- 5.2K Lymphedema
- 3.6K Managing Side Effects of Breast Cancer and Its Treatment
- 591 Pain
- 3.9K Radiation Therapy - Before, During, and After
- 8.4K Surgery - Before, During, and After
- 109 Welcome to Breastcancer.org
- 98 Acknowledging and honoring our Community
- 11 Info & Resources for New Patients & Members From the Team