I was recently diagnosed with DCIS in both breasts

Posted by bellaby99 @bellaby99, Jun 13 12:37pm

My initial MRI found 4 suspicious areas, 2 on each breast. I had an MRI guided needle biopsy but didn't know that only 2 areas were biopsied. I'm scheduled to have another biopsy next week and am wondering why the radiologist only did 2 of the suspicious areas. I'm very fearful they'll find more cancer. Has anyone experienced anything like this? All comments are appreciated!

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Rubyslippers | @triciaot | Jun 13 1:58pm

My guess is they wanted to run histology on the two spots before proceeding with more. May or may not be an insurance issue, or the facility’s protocol, that they start with only 2.
If the first two, or one side only, came back with a type of cell that was considered slow growing and not a real concern then maybe further biopsy on that side(s) would not be needed. The fact that they want to do another biopsy doesn’t mean the original diagnosis has changed, nor anything worse. Maybe only that more info is needed to decide on treatment.

I think anyone now being diagnosed with DCIS should be aware of what seems to be a move toward more conservative treatment (less surgery, adjuvant only). Personally I’m not sure I’d be happy with that. I was diagnosed in 2019 and new protocols had not been developed for reduced treatment at that time. If it were me, I’d look very closely at the biopsy report including cytology and histology. If the cells are in cribriform, papillary, micropapillary, or solid ( with or without comedo) would make a difference on prognosis. Miotic rate (speed of cells growing) and differentiated cell size (lg and small) also make a difference.

I was DCIS T0 N0 M0 (no Tumor mass, no Node involvement, no Metastasis) but I did have Grade 2 including some solid type growth (not good). So, today, if I was offered a wait and see and just start hormone therapy . . . I’d probably push for surgery because of the Grade 2.
We all have different criteria. But, it’s worth really understanding some of the details about your lesion so you can make the best decision for you.

bellaby99 | @bellaby99 | Jun 14 7:36am

Thank you for your helpful response, you gave me some really good thoughts on what to review on the pathology report. I'll follow up with reviewing it and have some better questions to ask my doctor.

ppat4pr | @ppat4pr | Jun 14 3:42pm

I had ductal Ca in one breast & was treated with radiation. Over 20 years later, I had to have a mastectomy in the same breast. The doctors didn't know if the second Ca was caused by ductal Ca or not. Sorry, this doesn't seem to be too helpful.