DCIS with Isolated Tumor Cell in Sentinel Node
Has anyone had this? My primary tumor is DCIS, and no definite invasion seen from path report. But the one sentinel they took showed Isolated Tumor Cell. The surgeon wasn't too worried about it, said it's treated as negative and won't affect overall treatment plan. She said it might be from biopsy. But I feel uneasy about it. I was so hoping for a negative node. Now I don't know what the implication is for ITC. Wondering if anyone else has had this and what your overall treatment plan is?
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Hi @mchen0321, I'm sorry you got this unexpected news. I have also read about that theory which claims ITCs can be caused by biopsy needle displacement. My tumor was invasive with a single positive node but I ended up with three of those characteristics that aren't good but are not used to determine treatment: LVI, front central tumor location, close (<1 mm) margins, ER+/PR- hormonal status and ITCs. My surgeon wasn't concerned but my RO added RNI (regional nodal irradiation) which ASTRO recommends be considered if some of these things are present. I would have had this anyhow because of the positive node. Are you planning on having radiation? If so discuss this with your RO. You also should discuss the possibility of endocrine therapy which is sometimes offered to those with DCIS.
There are studies out there that show additional risk of recurrence if you have any of these but the extra risk is not huge. There is no way of eliminating the possibility of recurrence so it's something you have to learn to live with. All the best.
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Hi @mchen0321, and welcome to Breastcancer.org.
We're so sorry for the reasons that bring you here, but we're really glad you've found us. As you can already see, our community is full of wonderful members like @maggie15, who are always willing to offer advice, information, encouragement, and support — we're all here for you!
Though this study is a bit older, you might find it helpful to open up a conversation with your oncologist about potential additional treatment to give you peace of mind:
Isolated Cancer Cells in Lymph Nodes Need Treatment After Surgery
We hope this helps and we look forward to hearing more from you. Please let us know if we can help in any other way!
—The Mods
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