DCIS close to chest wall

Options
Paco
Paco Member Posts: 208
edited March 2018 in DCIS (Ductal Carcinoma In Situ)

I just had the radioactive seed tracer inserted this morning in preparation for tomorrow's surgery. The seed was placed so far back it really scares me. The breast surgeon is only looking for 1 cell of margin so I guess as long as it hasn't invaded the wall, it'll be okay. I'm going to keep my cool and stay positive that it is only DCIS after the pathology comes back and so far, nobody has told me otherwise.

Has anybody else had super close margins to the chest wall?

Oh, and what about the SNB? I thought that might be part of the lumpectomy but I didn't get any radioactive dye injected and nobody told me that would come tomorrow either ... hmmm


Edited: my MRI noted Chest Wall: unremarkable. So I guess that's good.

· Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Comments

  • SpecialK
    SpecialK Member Posts: 16,486
    edited February 2018

    kelly - hoping for clear margins for you and pure DCIS, and a smooth and easy surgery. If you have a lumpectomy for what is thought to be pure DCIS many surgeons don't do a SNB (based on ASCO treatment guidelines) because you will still have remaining breast tissue and one could be done later if you are found to have an invasive component. SNB is usually done when you have a BMX/MX for DCIS that is large or widespread since the breast tissue the dye/tracer travels through will be removed. Good luck!

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Paco
    Paco Member Posts: 208
    edited February 2018

    thanks Specialk, it went well today. The surgeon thought she could get it all out and has no reason to believe there was anything else "funky" in there. She used the word funky lol.

    Now I have to steel myself for the radiation. But that's a concern for another day. Today, I feel good.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • SpecialK
    SpecialK Member Posts: 16,486
    edited February 2018

    Kelly - yay for no funkiness! Lol! Glad you're feeling good, have you discussed the shorter 3 week course Canadian Protocol for rads? Whatever you end up doing, you will get through it!

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • brigid_TO
    brigid_TO Member Posts: 75
    edited February 2018

    Hi kellyoc519- yes that would also be me with a close margin (1mm) to the posterior -chest wall. The other margins were good. The standard is a 2mm margin for DCIS but it didn't work out that way for me and no need for re-excision.

    The pathology wasn't conclusive for cancer prior to my excisional biopsy that turned into a lumpectomy so I declined the sentinel node biopsy. Post lumpectomy diagnosis was pure DCIS but a later pathology (oncotype) found a microinvasion. No regrets with skipping the sentinel node biopsy.

    You will get through this. Please let us know how everything goes.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Cowgirl13
    Cowgirl13 Member Posts: 1,936
    edited February 2018

    Kelly, I just wanted to let you know that I had the Canadian protocol for radiation and it was very easy. I had 19 rounds and it was easy. I think here it is called hypofractionated radiation. The link is below.

    . http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa0906260...


    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Paco
    Paco Member Posts: 208
    edited February 2018

    thanks Cowgirl13 and BrigidTO.

    Cowgirl13, I do hope to do the short course of radiation or possibly Brachytherapy. I'm being treated at Roswell Park in Buffalo and I believe they have both options, not sure if they are available to me.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • BexSpartan
    BexSpartan Member Posts: 9
    edited March 2018

    I had the same, close to chest wall DCIS, glad yours went well, hope your RAD is short & smooth.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Categories