DCIS at 80 years or older

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Angela888
Angela888 Member Posts: 3
edited November 2020 in DCIS (Ductal Carcinoma In Situ)

i would like to be in contact with ladies that have been diagnosed with DCIS after 75 or 80 years.

It seems to me that the treatment protocol that doctors recommend is the same whether you are 40 or 80 years old. Doesn't make sense at all to me.

My aunt has been diagnosed with DCIS (stage 0), intermediate grade (2) and she is 84 years olds. She is is good health.

Any advice from anyone who has been in the same shoes?

Thanks a lot

Angela

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  • Beesie
    Beesie Member Posts: 12,240
    edited October 2020

    All DCIS is not alike. The treatment recommendation should reflect the specifics of the pathology, and the age of the patient.

    It's possible that your aunt could forgo radiation after a lumpectomy - my mother had a small invasive cancer at age 80, and she was able to do this - but it depends on the aggressiveness of the pathology and the surgical margins.

    Chemo is never required for DCIS. Endocrine (anti-hormone) therapy is usually recommended for ER+ DCIS, for those who have a lumpectomy, but some patients (of any age) choose to pass. My mother's invasive cancer was not very aggressive so she opted out of anti-hormone therapy, with the approval of her doctors. She's 96 now - no recurrence of her cancer. The one thing she did do in order to skip rads and endocrine therapy was have re-excision surgery (a second lumpectomy) to widen the surgical margins.

    What treatment is being recommended for your aunt. I'm assuming she's had a biopsy but no surgery yet. Do you know the estimated size of the area of DCIS, and the pathology?

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  • Angela888
    Angela888 Member Posts: 3
    edited October 2020

    Thank you so much Bessie for your quick reply. I appreciate it very much!

    Hopefully I will hear from other ladies

    Angela

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  • bcincolorado
    bcincolorado Member Posts: 5,758
    edited October 2020

    How is her health otherwise and what is her living situation like? Is she independent still? If she is active and willing to fight support her in whatever she decides. Best wishes.


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  • Angela888
    Angela888 Member Posts: 3
    edited October 2020

    Thanks bcincolorado for your best wishes.

    My aunt's health is still pretty good. She's independent and she lives alone. She is worried that if she has surgery, how is she going to manage? Also, because of her age and DCIS being not invasive, she's considering doing nothing other than wait and see what a mammogram may reveal next year.

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  • kksmom3
    kksmom3 Member Posts: 183
    edited November 2020

    I wouldn't wait and see. If she is in truly good health, she'd do fine with at least a lumpectomy.

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