More research needed to help DCIS
So back to business again this morning and today I am highlighting a recent medical story which recommends that more research is needed to indicate which DCIS patients are candidates for less invasive surgery. This is something very close to my heart, as I was diagnosed with DCIS and felt great frustration in deciding which treatment options were right for me. As regular readers will know I struggled hugely with my decision regarding adjuvant chemotherapy and the high risk of infertility.
Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), the most common non-invasive lesion of the breast, presents unique challenges for patients and providers largely because the natural course of the untreated disease is not well understood. Because most women diagnosed with DCIS are treated, it is difficult to determine the comparative benefits of different treatment strategies versus active surveillance, meaning systematic followup. An independent panel convened by the NIH urged the scientific community to identify appropriate biomarkers and other prognostic factors to better predict the risk of developing breast cancer.
“Instead of treating all women diagnosed with DCIS, we need to determine which individuals are likely to develop invasive breast cancer and which will not,” said Dr. Carmen Allegra, panel chair and Chief of Hematology and Oncology at the University of Florida. “If we could accurately predict this, we might save some women from undergoing unnecessary invasive treatments while achieving the same positive outcomes.”
Another aspect of the panel’s recommendation which I was happy to see was its emphasis on the importance of patient preferences and recommended improved communication between patients and providers. Efforts to improve communication would also include further development of formal decision aids. Such tools would reduce misinformation and improve understanding of a DCIS diagnosis and the risks and benefits of various treatment options. Individuals who have DCIS should have access to the best possible information and guidance to aid them in making care decisions that reflect their unique circumstances, perspectives, and preferences.
Source: Medical News Today
excellent points here – i was diagnosed with DCIS earlier this year and it was tough to know what the right decisions were
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once again you make a great point here on the subject of patient/doctor communication
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i think it would be great if this was developed further into a decision making tool – like carrie67 i also sturggeled with making decisions in relation to my own DCIS
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I have just been diagnosed with intermediate DCIS and I feel like a cow being herded to the slaughterhouse. I am scheduled for surgery in about a week and I have not been able to discuss different treatment options. I am to get a lumpectomy with radiaition and possibly Tamoxifen.I know I will opt out of the Tamoxifen, and I have questions as to how the radiaiton will effect my heart. I am wondering why my surgeoon did not discuss options with me, even when I asked. I guess everyone gets the same thing.
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I am sorry to hear you are having this all too common experience with your surgeon. It just goes to show that we, as patients need to arm ourselves with our knowledge and questions, but it is a sorry state of affairs, that just at that moment when we are in shock at our diagnosis, trying to organise things at home and/or work before our hospital stay, we suddenly have to become cancer experts on our own too!
Anyway, Lauren, I am sure all readers join me in wishing you the very best of luck with your treatment over the coming weeks and months and know that you are not alone – there is an army of breast cancer patients and survivors out there if you need us.
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