Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) means the cells that line the milk ducts
What is the survival rate of DCIS?
Generally, patients diagnosed with DCIS have an excellent long-term breast-cancer-specific survival of around 98% after 10 years of follow-up 24 – 27 and a normal life expectancy.
Can you die from ductal carcinoma in situ?
DCIS (ductal carcinoma in situ) is the most common form of non-invasive breast cancer and is considered stage 0 cancer. While DCIS isn’t considered life threatening, it does increase the risk of developing invasive breast cancer later in life.
Can ductal carcinoma in situ kill you?
Women can die when an invasive breast cancer spreads to and affects other organs in the body. But women don’t die from DCIS , because the cells can’t wreak havoc when they are inside the duct.
Is ductal carcinoma in situ cancer life threatening?
DCIS refers to abnormal cells that are confined to the milk ducts. These cells have not yet spread into the surrounding normal breast tissue and cannot spread elsewhere in the body. It’s more of a precancer, or preinvasive lesion. So DCIS isn’t life-threatening , but it has the potential to become invasive cancer.
How quickly does DCIS progress?
Grade 1 DCIS is almost always ER and PR positive and is a very slow growing form of cancer. It can take years, even decades , to see progression of the disease. In some cases, it may take such a long time to spread beyond the breast duct that it is not an event that will happen during a person’s lifetime.
Does DCIS ever go away?
Clusters of abnormal cells like D.C.I.S. can sometimes disappear, stop growing or simply remain in place and never cause a problem. The suspicion is that the abnormal cells may be harmless and may not require treatment.
Does invasive ductal carcinoma spread fast?
Ductal carcinoma is more likely to spread than lobular carcinoma , among tumors that are the same size and stage. While many breast cancers do not spread to lymph nodes until the tumor is at least 2 cm to 3 cm in diameter, some types may spread very early, even when a tumor is less than 1 cm in size.
Is ductal carcinoma curable?
Ductal Carcinoma In Situ is very early cancer that is highly treatable , but if it’s left untreated or undetected, it can spread into the surrounding breast tissue.
Do you need chemo for DCIS?
Chemotherapy, a form of treatment that sends anti-cancer medications throughout the body, is generally not needed for DCIS . DCIS is non-invasive and remains within the breast duct, so there is no need to treat cancer cells that might have traveled to other areas of the body.
Does ductal carcinoma in situ run in families?
Scientists funded by Breast Cancer Now have confirmed inherited genetic links between non-invasive cancerous changes found in the milk ducts – known as ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) – and the development of invasive breast cancer, meaning that a family history of DCIS could be as important to assessing a woman’s risk ...
How serious is ductal carcinoma?
DCIS isn’t life-threatening , but having DCIS can increase the risk of developing an invasive breast cancer later on. When you have had DCIS, you are at higher risk for the cancer coming back or for developing a new breast cancer than a person who has never had breast cancer before.
Why did I get DCIS?
DCIS forms when genetic mutations occur in the DNA of breast duct cells . The genetic mutations cause the cells to appear abnormal, but the cells don’t yet have the ability to break out of the breast duct. Researchers don’t know exactly what triggers the abnormal cell growth that leads to DCIS.
What stage is high grade DCIS?
DCIS that is high grade, is nuclear grade 3 , or has a high mitotic rate is more likely to come back (recur) after it is removed with surgery. DCIS that is low grade, is nuclear grade 1, or has a low mitotic rate is less likely to come back after surgery.
Should I have a mastectomy for DCIS?
Mastectomy involves removal of the whole breast and is usually recommended if the DCIS affects a large area of the breast , if it has not been possible to get a clear area of normal tissue around the DCIS by wide local excision, or if there is more than one area of DCIS.
How long does it take for invasive ductal carcinoma to spread?
Each division takes about 1 to 2 months , so a detectable tumor has likely been growing in the body for 2 to 5 years. Generally speaking, the more cells divide, the bigger the tumor grows.
