DCIS - CAN IT COME BACK AS SECONDARY

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Hi

This has been on my mind for a while hence starting this thread - what are the chances of getting secondary breast cancer after originally being diagnosed with DCIS?

My Breast Surgeon said to me over 2 years ago that if I get any pain in my body and it last for more than 2/3 weeks, I should contact the team (I still have 6 monthly appointments) but I didn’t think it was possible for the disease to come back as secondary or am I wrong in thinking this?

Thank you in advance for any replies x

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Hi aqua,as far as I know DCIS is cancer that is contained in the milk ducts and hasn’t developed the ability to spread,it’s non invasive.

here’s some information from macmillan about DCIS.

macmillan.org.uk/Cancerinformation/Cancertypes/BreastDCIS/DCIS.aspx

Melxx

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Hi Aqua

I was diagnosed aged 44 with non invasive DCIS in Oct 2009, underwent lumpectomy and SNB, 2nd lumpectomy for clear safety margins, 5 cycles of FEC chemo, 28 session of rads and commenced Tamoxifen. I am now 47 and have just been diagnosed with secondary bone cancer and start radiotherapy tomorrow, also now on Zoladex injections, Letrozole, Ibandronic Acid and Adcal D3.

I would say there is a very small possibility of secondaries because this disease is so very unpredictable. Your Doctor is right if you have any pain anywhere that lasts longer than 2 - 3 weeks then please go get it checked…it is always better to be safe than sorry and it does not make you a potential hypochondriac either. A cancer diagnosis just makes us a little more cautious as we have lost that ‘innocence’ so many people who have never had a cancer diagnosis and take for granted.

Oh how I wish I had not had someone sit across a desk and tell me those 3 little words.

Try not to worry though and ‘live’ your life to its fullest. Dont let ‘cancer’ get the better of your thoughts.

Leigh x

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Hi Aqua
Why were you given chemo if your cancer was non invasive. Did you also have some invasive cells that you needed chemo and radiotherapy? I was diagnosed with non invasive Dcis 5mm I decided to op for mx and have had no further treatment I wasn’t,even prescribed tamoxifen. I can,t understand your treatment .
suziex

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Sorry this post is for Leigh

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Hi Susiex

I was advised the chemo route by my Oncologist. I was grade 3, stage 1, strongly ER+ PR+ HER2- when I was diagnosed but because clear safety margins were not attained at first lumpectomy and there was a 3 week gap between surgeries he felt airing on the side of caution should be considered in case any cancer cells had ‘spread’ then the chemo would do its job and get rid, which it appeared to do until I was diagnosed again 7 weeks ago.

Leigh

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Hi leigh,I am a bit confused about your treatment did you have DCIS ( ductal cancer in situ) or IDC (invasive ductal cancer which has spread out of the milk ducts).DCIS is sometimes called pre cancer which hasn’t developed the ability to spread out side of the milk ducts.I had DCIS and IDC .

best wishes Melxx

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DCIS alone is always Stage 0 and can be grade 1,2,3 and occurr alongside IDC & ILC & LCIS. Here is a good link from Breastcancer.org.
m.breastcancer.org/symptoms/types/dcis/diagnosis.jsp
There is DCIS with microinvasion, too. Your path report would state that.

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If DCIS is removed completely with a clear margin around it, it cannot come back as a secondary. Secondaries can occur only if there is microinvasion (DCIS with MI) or if the margins were not clear at surgery.

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Cleese stage 1 isn’t DCIS and grade 3 isn’t DCIS i think you will find this is invasive cancer hence the chemo and the resulting secondaries? DCIS is grade low, importer mediate or high rather than 1, 2 or 3.

You can get invasive with dcis I have both but DCIS doesn’t respond to chemo that’s why it’s not given.

Might be worth having a chat with your oncologist to clarify things or better still get a copy of you path report.

Take care
Lxxx

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I had DCIS ductal carcinoma in situ, it was removed on the 6th of march, when i went back for the results of the margins the surg told me they do a margin to make sure it not spread, i were given the all clear. im looking at my pathology report now while i type grade (intermediate)i had cancer malignant in two areas of my milk ducts.

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Thank you ladies for all your replies x

Leigh, I know exactly what you mean re the ‘three words’. So sorry you now have secondaries, I wish you well with your treatment xx

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Hi I’m Shirley. I had High grade DCIS and nobody mentioned secondaries to me.