Topic: DCIS with Microinvasion - Stage 0 or 1?

Oct 4, 2011 06:58 PM LisaAlissa wrote:

Essentially, the "microinvasion" is more important for staging purposes than the much larger DCIS.  DCIS by itself is always Stage 0, because it's "preinvasive."  When you have any invasive component, then the staging will be at least Stage 1.

HTH,

LisaAlissa 

Oct 4, 2011 10:26 PM cycle-path wrote:

To put it another way: no, DCIS cannot be stage one. DCIS is always stage 0. But sometimes somewhere within the DCIS their lurks a little bit of stage 1 IDC.

Let's say someone gave you an oatmeal cookie that had one chocolate chip in it. You wouldn't call it a chocolate chip cookie, you'd call it an oatmeal cookie because that one little chip was hardly worth mentioning.

The oatmeal cookie is the DCIS and the chocolate chip is the IDC. The one chocolate chip is there, but it's mostly just an oatmeal cookie. 

Oct 7, 2011 01:50 PM lisaemma wrote:

Thank you for everyone, for clarifying!  I found the cookie analogy very helpful.

I just came from radiation and my weekly meeting with the doctor.  She congratulated me on being near completion and I (strangely) almost broke out in tears.  I have this niggling fear that I'm not being aggressive enough and completing  therapy opens the door to worry.  My tumor was ER/PR-, HER2+.   Being that I had a small DCIS tumor and 5-10 cells microinvasion the physicians feel Herecptin would be unnecessary.  I suppose that I should be happy...but I'm oddly worried....

Or perhaps it's just the realization that being done with therapy means it's time to move on, and this has been so all-consuming it's almost as if part of my identity needs to be changed.

I should add that my sister had breast cancer and passed away six years ago.  No genetic mutations on my part, just some very bad memories.

Jun 28, 2012 04:21 AM Jansd1 wrote:

I have DCIS ( approx 9mm ) with microinvasion , my Dr. said the microinvasion was really
small , anyway I had 2 lumpectomys which I was upset about because the surgeon took out approx . 6" from my breast , I dont even know if she got the cancer out , she insisted I had to do radiation . I have done 18 rad treatments & my breast has shrunk so much , plus my lungs hurt . It is really depressing , I still 13 more rad tx ( 6 are boosts) , I want to quit everyday . The Dr. denies that my breast is shrinking & says that doesn't happen during tx , also denies that my lungs are hurting . I think they are overtreating me . I read that by law they have to offer breast reconstruction if lumpectomy leaves you asymmetric . But my Dr. said that is just for mastectomys but I read it included lumpectomies . The only reason I am trying to comply with tx , is so I will be allowed breast reconstruction , but scared they will refuse to do reconstruction & my breast will shrink to nothing . I have HMO insurance so I know they might refuse reconstruction . Has anyone had their breast shrink during radiation or have reconstruction after radiation , plus I don't know if I should quit radiation , think they are overdoing it , it is just so depressing -oh - I am 44

Jun 30, 2012 01:15 PM bluepearl wrote:

With such a small microinvasion, I would think rads would be enough. The lask of horminal receptors and her2 positivity are worrisome factors if it were a larger tumor. Vigillance is the key word now!

Feb 22, 2013 10:51 PM Beesie wrote:

Laurie, you posted a couple of weeks ago in a different thread in this forum.  I replied at the time and suggested that you look at a particular thread in the HER2+ forum where you'll find a lot of women who've had a similar diagnosis to yours.

Here's a link to your previous post and my response; they are the last two posts in the following thread:  final pathology shows microinvation please help

Feb 23, 2013 04:01 PM Beesie wrote:

Laurie, no problem!  I'm just glad that you've now found your way to that other discussion thread. Most of the articles and studies that I've read don't have good information about small invasive cancers that are HER2+ because they claim that this type of diagnosis is quite rare.  But when you're on that other discussion thread, you'll find that there are a lot of women on this board who've had this diagnosis!

Good luck with the lymph node surgery and the Herceptin.