· Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) is characterized by cancerous cells that are confined to the lining of the milk ducts and have not spread through the duct walls into surrounding breast tissue. If ductal carcinoma in situ lesions is left untreated, over time cancer cells may break through the duct and spread to nearby tissue, becoming an invasive breast cancer.
· DCIS is the most common type of noninvasive breast cancer, with about 60,000 new cases diagnosed in the United States each year. About one in every five new breast cancer cases is ductal carcinoma in situ.
· DCIS is divided into several subtypes, according to the appearance of the tumor. These subtypes include micropapillary, papillary, solid, cribriform, and comedo.
· Women with ductal carcinoma in situ are typically at higher risk for seeing their cancer return after treatment, although the chance of a recurrence is less than 30 percent. Most recurrences occur within five to 10 years after the initial diagnosis and may be invasive or noninvasive. DCIS also carries a heightened risk of developing a new breast cancer in the other breast. A recurrence of ductal carcinoma in situ will require additional treatment.
· The type of therapy selected may affect the likelihood of recurrence. Treating ductal carcinoma in situ with a lumpectomy (breast-conserving surgery) without radiation therapy carries a 25 percent to 35 percent chance of recurrence. Adding radiation therapy to the treatment decreases this risk by approximately 15 percent. Currently, the long-term survival rate for women with ductal carcinoma in situ is 100 percent.
· DCIS is considered the earliest form of breast cancer. DCIS is noninvasive, meaning it hasn't spread out of the milk duct and has a low risk of becoming invasive.
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