Treatment of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), a group of abnormal cells confined to the breast ducts, varies widely in the United States. Treatment ranges from potential over-treatment with aggressive surgical therapy to possible under-treatment by not providing radiation.
In the absence of data that allow identification of women with DCIS who are at risk for invasive recurrence of their cancer, understanding who makes treatment decisions and why is more likely to do more to improve the care of women with DCIS than any treatment guidelines, said breast cancer surgeon Monica Morrow, M.D.
“Evidence suggests that the critical difference between the prevention goal of DCIS treatment and the therapeutic goal of invasive cancer management is not well appreciated by women with the disease,” said Morrow, professor of surgery at the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University.
Morrow is also director of the Lynn Sage Comprehensive Breast Program at Northwestern Memorial Hospital and a researcher at The Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University.
Morrow said that until the genetic changes that govern the progression from in situ to invasive disease are identified, a better understanding of how to communicate what is and is not known about the nature of DCIS and a better understanding of patient preferences and factors that influence the decision-making process are critical to helping women make decisions that meet their needs.