Ductal Carcinoma In Situ

Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), also known as intraductal carcinoma, is a pre-cancerous or non-invasive cancerous lesion of the breast. In this condition abnormal cells are found in the lining of one or more milk ducts in the breast. In situ means "in place" and refers to the fact that the abnormal cells have not moved out of the mammary duct and into any of the surrounding tissues in the breast (precancerous means that it has not yet become an invasive cancer). In some cases, DCIS may become invasive cancer and spread to other tissues, although it is not currently known how to predict which lesions will become invasive. DCIS encompasses a wide spectrum of diseases ranging from low-grade lesions that are not life-threatening to high-grade (i.e. potentially highly aggressive) lesions.

Most of the women who develop DCIS do not experience any symptoms. The first signs and symptoms may appear if the cancer advances. Because of the lack of early symptoms, DCIS is most often detected at screening mammography. In a few cases, DCIS may cause A lump or thickening in or near the breast or under the arm, A change in the size or shape of the breast, Nipple discharge or nipple tenderness; the nipple may also be inverted, or pulled back into the breast, Ridges or pitting of the breast; the skin may look like the skin of an orange, A change in the way the skin of the breast, areola, or nipple looks or feels such as warmth, swelling, redness or scaliness

Surgical removal, with or without additional radiation therapy or tamoxifen, is the recommended treatment for DCIS.[20] Surgery may be either a breast-conserving lumpectomy or a mastectomy (complete or partial removal of the affected breast).If a lumpectomy is used it is often combined with radiation therapy. Tamoxifen may be used as hormonal therapy if the cells show estrogen receptor positivity. Chemotherapy is not needed for DCIS since the disease is noninvasive. While surgery reduces the risk of subsequent cancer, many people never develop cancer even without treatment and there are associated side effects. There is no evidence comparing surgery with watchful waiting and some feel watchful waiting may be a reasonable option in certain cases.Lubriderm lotion