Hi everyone, I’ve been posting on the ‘have I got breast cancer?’ but thought I better move over now. I’ve been diagnosed with low to intermediate grade DCIS surgeon has sugested WLE but cautioned further surgery and treatment may be necessary dependant on tests carried out on removed tissue. My father had breast cancer 10 years ago. He suggested breast reduction at same time as WLE but unsure if he meant one or both breasts. I asked if I ought to have mastectomy - better safe than sorry - but he said ‘not at this stage’. Not a clue what decisions to make. Help please.
Carol x
Dear Carol
Breast Cancer Care have written a factsheet about DCIS which may help you to understand more about it, you can read it by clicking on the following link:
breastcancercare.org.uk/docs/ductalcarcinomainsitudcisoct05_0.pdf
If you need more information or just want to talk things through in confidence at some point with one of our specialist nurses, please feel free to use the helpline, the number is 0808 800 6000 and it is open Mon-Fri 9am-5pm and Sat 9am-2pm.
Best wishes
Lucy
Hi Carol
Im so sorry that you have had to move to here, Im sure that these lovely ladies will look after you and help you with your questions etc.
Take Care of yourself
I will be keeping an eye on you
Yvonne xx
Hi Carol
Firstly, sorry you’ve had to join us but welcome - there is a lot of useful advice here if you want to access it.
I had WLE on Jan 31. The reason they say ‘not at this stage’ is because they remove the lump and extra tissue around it. The extra tissue needs to be clear of any cancer cells too. That’s what they call ‘clear margins’. If they haven’t managed to get clear margins then more surgery is needed. They’ll take some lymph nodes from under your arm and test those too. Your treatment will be individually tailored so when you’ve had your op and get the results you’ll know what will happen next.
This site has a lot of useful leaflets and there are a lot of people who post too so don’t be afraid to ask - someone usually knows the answer!
Take care and be kind to yourself ;o)
x
Thanks for that. Now I’m thinking slightly clearer, I have 'phoned and left a message for the breast care nurse saying I would now like to discuss things further. Another thing is, do any of you lovely ladies smoke and if so have you had any problems with anesthetic and surgery? I already eat quite healthily and take lots of exercise with the dogs but am going to make a concerted effort to look after myself before the surgery, eat lots of fruit and veg, cut down on alcohol and perhaps cut down on the ciggies - sounds like a big ask all in one go but if it’s going to help I will really try. Still in a blur about the pros and cons of reconstruction though.
Carol x
Hi Carol
There is some really good information about DCIS on the cancer research website. I have just had surgery for a type of DCIS and my questions were exactly the same as yours. DCIS is a precancerous conditon. That means that at the moment it hasn’t invaded other surrounding tissues in the breast or spread into the rest of the body. However, in some people, DCIS has the potential to do so if left untreated. Recent research has shown that doing a WLE with radiotherapy and chemotherapy in some cases, is just as effective as a mastectomy. Yes, a mastectomy would definitely ensure that the precancerous tissues are all removed, but it is in most cases, overtreatment. I didn’t even have my lymph nodes removed which concerned me until they explained that because the cancer hasn’t spread, it won’t be in the nodes. When you have your operation, the surgeon will attempt to remove all suspect tissue with a good margin around it. This is then carefully examined in the lab and if they find suspicious tissue near the margins, they may re-operate. Luckily with me, they got everything out in one go and I now need radiotherapy as a precaution to ensure everything is killed off. If you look on the cancer research recent news articles, there is some research showing that many people overestimate the risk of DCIS and although it is something you want treated, it is not the same as invasive cancer.
With regards to surgery, quitting smoking completely and cutting down on alcohol will help recovery. Good luck and try not to worry too much. Easier said than done!!
Cathy
xx
Hi Cathy, very pleased your surgery went well. Did you have just the WLE or did you have any reconstruction? If the surgeon managed to get a clear margin why the need for radiotherapy? All this is so confusing.
Carol x
I think radiotherapy is seen as ‘belt and braces’ - just to make sure so to speak.
x
Hi Carol
I just had the WLE and won’t need reconstruction as the bit missing isn’t that big. The reason for radiotherapy or chemotherapy with cancer is just like lynnietom said - belt and braces. In other words, there may and I stress the word may, be tiny microscopic cancer cells left behind at the site of the operation that no-one can see. Using radiotherapy which kills off cells at the actual operation site, is a type of insurance as no-one knows for sure if every single cell has been taken away with the surgery so this is to make sure everything is killed off. The same goes for chemotherapy in some cases. With DCIS, it is highly unlikely that the cancer has got outside the breast, so chemotherapy is often not used. Depending on your age and if you have low grade cells, surgery may be enough, but it would seem that most doctors encourage radiotherapy just to make sure. I was given the choice and weighing up the risks of radiotherapy against the risks of the cancer returning in the future, I decided that I would rather make doubly sure that it is all gone… Remember with DCIS, it is an very early cancer or as my doctor calls it precancerous. Therefore radiotherapy is used as a precaution. It is all very confusing!!
Cathy
XX