Virtual Breast Cancer Support Group

Has anyone been diagnosed with Dcis with original non surgical biopsy grade two but when did surgical biopsy the tissue only showed benign tissue ,so cancer free. Surgeon said they got it all with original biopsy they did after abnormal rice looking spots on diagnostic mammogram.

I was diagnosed with DCIS in July after a mammogram showed calcifications. I had a biopsy that was consistent with DCIS. When I had surgery in early September there was no cancer found in the 2 excisions that were performed. I was told that the biopsy removed all of the DCIS area. My area was 4mm x 6mm, so very small.

Hi friends,

I had a non-metastatic stage-1 breast cancer sized 1.4 cm which was removed in January, 2022. Afterwards, I received a 5-session radiation treatment. Now I am not sure if I need to also receive a 5-year endocrine treatment (Anastrozole), balancing between the side-effect of the drug and the simple nature of my cancer case. Any thoughts or experiences on this are very much appreciated!

yds

It's a hard call. I had stage 2 hormone-positive breast cancer, with no lymph node involvement in 2017. I had a lumpectomy and radiation. I am going off anastrozole at the end of the month after taking it for 5 years. The first month I had a lot of joint pain and thought about not taking it. But with my oncologist's coaxing, I continued taking it. I take long walks, do light weight lifting, practice yoga, and take celery tablets, Vit-D, calcium, magnesium, and iron. This all seems to help with the joint pain. Anastrozole lowers your libido but not entirely. I get prolia injections for my bone health. All in all the 5 years have gone by quickly and I guess taking AI is a good insurance policy. It is luck of the draw. I've met women that didn't take the AI and were fine many years later. All the best to you.

Congratulations for your successful completion the 5-year AI treatment! It's a triumph! Grateful for sharing your valuable AI experience with me! I think taking AI as a "good insurance policy" is well thought and at least could help build up psychological confidence. Besides vitamins and exercise, I have also added so called cancer-suppressing foods in my diet, such as oats, garlic, mushroom, broccoli, potato, and antioxidant greens. I'll put your experience into my consideration over the AI. Thank you again!

I am in a very similar situation. I had excisional biopsy for Atypical hyperplasia and was diagnosed with DCIS based on pathology of the 4-mm tumor that was removed completely in the excision. No-brainer so far. I decided to not do radiation or hormone blocker because I am 65 and neither one seems to make more than a small difference in recurrence or survival. I am having another mammogram in 6 months and if everything looks ok, I’m good to do “watchful waiting.” If I were in my 20s or 30s, I think I’d go for the most aggressive treatment. It’s not an easy decision, but everyone has to consider the risks vs. benefits for their individual selves.

Thank you for sharing your experience! I appreciate your thought that a younger woman might need more aggressive treatment. I am 70 and received radiation treatment. As my tumor was stage-1 and 1.4 cm in size, and the surgery was successful, at this point I would do mammogram diligently without taking pills. With antioxidant and anti-cancer diet I am trying to build up anti-cancer strength in my body.

I am trying to go as plant-based as I can with food, and limiting meat almost entirely. Do you have a cancer diet cook book that you can recommend?

Don't have an anti-cancer diet book yet. But after some research on internet, I found the following cruciferous vegetables have been researched for their potential anti-cancer effects. You can look into "cruciferous vegetables" in wikipedia.

Caution: eat with moderate portion just like in a normal meal.

In my meal I frequently use garlic, Oliver oil, mushroom, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, and reddish. I also eat a portion of protein to build up strength (3 eggs or some meat, or some seafood).

These look so good that they make me want to cook! I think nutrition is critical for fighting cancer. ❤️