Breast Cancer: Ductal Carcinoma In Situ (DCIS)

Breast Cancer: Ductal Carcinoma In Situ (DCIS). Ductal carcinoma in situ is a non-invasive breast cancer, a type of female breast. Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) is a non-invasive breast cancer. Ductal (duct) means that the cancer starts inside the milk duct, which means that cancer is any cancer that covers or arranges the internal organs from the skin or other tissues (including breast tissue), and means “in its original location.” DCIS is called “non-invasive” because it has not spread to any normal surrounding breast tissues other than the milk duct. DCIS is not life-threatening, but having DCIS may increase the risk of invasive breast cancer in the future.

If when you have DCIS, your risk of cancer is higher than the risk of new breast cancer, and higher than those who have never had breast cancer before. Most recurrences occur within 5 to 10 years after the initial diagnosis. The probability of recurrence is less than 30%.

For DCIS without radiation therapy, but for women undergoing breast-conserving surgery (lumpectomy), the possibility of recurrence in the future is about 25% to 30%. Including radiation therapy in the post-surgery treatment plan reduces the risk of recurrence to approximately 15%. If breast cancer recurs after early DCIS treatment, the recurrence is non-invasive (DCIS recurs again).

According to the American Cancer Society, about 60,000 cases of DCIS are diagnosed in the United States each year, accounting for about 1 in every 5 new breast cancer cases.

The main reasons why this number is so large and increasing over time:

• People live longer. As we age, our risk of breast cancer also increases.
• More and more people are undergoing mammograms, and the quality of mammograms has also improved. Through better screening, more cancers can be detected early.

Signs and symptoms of DCIS

DCIS usually has no signs or symptoms. A few people may develop lumps in the breasts or some excrement from the nipples. According to the National Cancer Institute, approximately 80% of DCIS cases are detected by mammography.

Follow-up care of DCIS

After surgery and radiation therapy, you and your doctor will work out your follow-up care plan together. If you have a mastectomy and are undergoing breast reconstruction, you will undergo a series of visits to check your recovery. If you are taking tamoxifen or other forms of hormone therapy, postoperative follow-up monitoring will usually last about 5 years.

Although follow-up care plans vary from person to person, your plan may at least include:

• The doctor conducts an examination and physical examination every 6 to 12 months for a period of 5 years, and then an annual examination and physical examination thereafter.
• According to the doctor’s recommendation, a mammogram should be performed every 12 months, and other screening methods may be used depending on the specific situation.

(source:chinanet, reference only)

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