PeopleBeatingCancer

Ductal Carcinoma In Situ (DCIS): Is Stage 0 Breast Cancer Always Treated?

Share Button

Ductal Carcinoma In Situ (DCIS): Is Stage 0 Breast Cancer Always Treated? A diagnosis of Ductal Carcinoma In-Situ (DCIS) is an alarming and potentially confusing event. DCIS is a non-invasive Stage 0 breast cancer. Learn about symptoms, diagnosis, treatment options, active surveillance, and the latest research on overtreatment.

What Is Ductal Carcinoma In Situ (DCIS)?

Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) is a Stage 0, non-invasive breast cancer in which abnormal cells are confined to the milk ducts and have not spread into surrounding breast tissue. While some DCIS lesions may eventually become invasive, many never progress, which is why researchers continue to study which patients benefit most from treatment and which may be candidates for active surveillance.

Women diagnosed with DCIS have a 98% chance of being alive after 10 years, but a 50% chance of developing invasive breast cancer, where the cancer cells spread into the breast tissue and have the possibility of spreading to the lymph nodes and other organs of the body.

Low-Grade vs. High-Grade DCIS

  • Low-grade DCIS- Low-grade DCIS (Ductal Carcinoma in Situ) means you have non-invasive Stage 0 breast cancer. The abnormal cells look very similar to healthy cells and grow slowly. It has a very low risk of becoming invasive and has an excellent long-term prognosis-
  • Intermediate-grade DCIS- The cells look more abnormal and grow slightly faster than low-grade DCIS.
  • High-grade DCIS- is non-invasive “Stage 0” breast cancer where abnormal, fast-growing cells are contained inside a milk duct. It is considered the most aggressive form of DCIS, meaning if left untreated, it has a higher risk of developing into invasive breast cancer. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

Ductal Carcinoma In Situ (DCIS) Treatment Options

DCIS Treatment Options

Include a comparison table:

Treatment Typical Use
Lumpectomy Localized DCIS
Lumpectomy + Radiation Higher recurrence risk
Mastectomy Extensive DCIS
Hormone Therapy ER-positive DCIS
Active Surveillance Selected low-risk patients

Treatment often includes surgery, radiation, and sometimes hormone therapy, although active surveillance is increasingly being studied for low-risk cases.

Frequently Asked Questions About DCIS

Is DCIS considered breast cancer?

DCIS is commonly classified as Stage 0 breast cancer because abnormal cells are present in the milk ducts but have not invaded surrounding tissue.

Can DCIS spread?

DCIS itself does not spread outside the breast ducts. However, some untreated cases may eventually develop into invasive breast cancer.

Does every DCIS diagnosis require surgery?

Not necessarily. Clinical trials are evaluating active monitoring for carefully selected low-risk patients.

What is the survival rate for DCIS?

Outcomes are generally excellent, with very high long-term survival rates when appropriately managed.

To learn more:

So what do you do? As a long-term cancer survivor, I have learned that understanding the difference between diagnosis and risk is essential. DCIS often presents patients with difficult decisions because many lesions never become life-threatening.

The evidence-based therapies used to try to prevent breast cancer relapse are the same evidence-based therapies one can use to prevent breast cancer from developing at all.   Of course, no one can prevent a cancer relapse or a cancer diagnosis 100% of the time, but I can provide studies that show how non-toxic, non-conventional nutritional supplementation is cytotoxic to breast cancer stem cells. If you are dealing with a diagnosis of DCIS, let me be clear:

Now is a critical time to mobilize your diet, lifestyle, and supplementation regimen to create an anti-cancer environment.

Yes, BC surgery, chemotherapy and radiation may have their place in the treatment of DCIS, particularly if it develops into invasive breast cancer. However, it is important for breast cancer patients—whether the diagnosis is DCIS or invasive breast cancer– to think about the long-term. All cancer survivors want to die not of their cancer but of old age.

In this guide we will cover the following topics:

  • Evidence-based diet and supplementation regimens (along with the studies that support them) that you can add to either your diet or supplementation regimen that can reduce the risk of developing invasive breast cancer
  • An overview of the three pillars of an anti-cancer lifestyle that you can start implementing to arm your body with the reserves it needs to fight
    • Superior nutrition
    • Ongoing detoxification
    • Mind-body therapies
  • An overview of possible treatment side effects and what you can do to alleviate them—whether you end up needing chemotherapy and radiation or not, it’s good to know what to expect so that you can make the best choices for your care.  

Please note that therapies with an asterisk (*) before have conflicting evidence about whether or not they are good for women with thyroid issues, and this conflict should be taken into account as you are evaluating your diet and supplementation regimens.

Diet changes you can start today

Avoid alcohol because drinking alcohol is linked to breast cancer- https://academic.oup.com/jnci/article/102/18/1422/927153

Follow a Mediterranean diet with extra virgin olive oil for its anti-breast cancer characteristics- https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2434738

Add red onions to your diet for their ability to kill breast cancer and colon cancer cells- https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/06/170607123928.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily%2Fhealth_medicine%2Fcancer+%28Cancer+News+–+ScienceDaily%29

*Consider evening fasting to reduce the risk of breast cancer recurrence

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/861319

Drink coffee to protect against breast cancer recurrence- https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/04/150421084531.htm

*Eat cruciferous vegetables—cabbage, cauliflower, and broccoli—to decrease risk of overall mortality and reduce the risk of recurrence-https://login.medscape.com/login/sso/getlogin?urlCache=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubWVkc2NhcGUuY29tL3ZpZXdhcnRpY2xlLzc2MTc5Mg==&ac=401

  • Cruciferous Complete

Add mushrooms to your diet because they have shown in studies to suppress growth and invasiveness of human breast cancer cells.

Eat more citrus fruit to reduce your risk of breast cancer

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3625773/

Eat pomegranate for antiagiogenisis 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4052369/

Eat blueberries for the pterostilbene, which inhibits the growth of breast cancer cells

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20031172

The supplements below have all shown to have anti-breast cancer properties:

  1. Vitamin D
  1. Curcumin
  1. Omega 3s-
  1. Green tea extract
  1. Bromelain 
  1. Resveratrol 
    • “The present review encompasses the role of resveratrol  and its natural/synthetic analogue in the light of their efficacy against tumor cell proliferation, epigenetic alterations and for induction of apoptosis as well as sensitization toward chemotherapeutic drugs.”
    • https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1534735414564425?papetoc=
  1. Vitamin C 
    • “Results from this meta-analysis suggest that post-diagnosis vitamin C supplement use may be associated with a reduced risk of mortality. Dietary vitamin C intake was also statistically significantly associated with a reduced risk of total mortality and breast cancer-specific mortality…”
    • http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24613622
  1. *Flaxseed 
  1. Taurine
  1. Grapeseed extract
  1. Ellagic acid
  1. Bitter melon extract
    • “these results show that bitter melon extract modulates signal transduction pathways for inhibition of breast cancer cell growth and can be used as a dietary supplement for prevention of breast cancer”
    • https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20179194
  1. Quercetin
  1. Iodine
  1. Fucoidan
  1. Melatonin
  1. Lutein
    • “Lutein promotes growth inhibition of breast cancer cells… Dietary lutein supplementation may be a promising alternative or adjunct therapeutic candidate against breast cancer.”
    • https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29662002
  1. 18)Honokiol
  1. 19)Thymoquinone

As a twenty-four year cancer survivor myself, I can honestly say that cancer management about living an anti-cancer lifestyle comprised of the following elements: 

  1. Superior nutrition
  2. Ongoing detoxification
  3. Managing the Mind-Body interface through anti-stress practices and cultivating a sense of purpose

Even though DCIS is technically stage 0, remember that there is a 50% chance of developing invasive breast cancer.  It is critical to cultivate an evidence-based, anti-cancer lifestyle in order to have the best chances of not developing invasive breast cancer.

Let’s start with nutrition: 

Whether to prevent a diagnosis of cancer, manage therapies, side effects or prevent a cancer relapse or treatment related secondary cancer numerous studies document the importance of nutrition to the cancer patient or survivor. 

If my own cancer experience is any indication, the good news is that eating “cleanly” or nutritiously will help you lose weight, feel more energetic, and enhance your mood among other things. 

Nutrition And Cancer: A Review of the Evidence for an Anti-Cancer Diet 

“When a diet is compiled according to the guidelines here it is likely that there would be at least a 60–70 percent decrease in breast, colorectal, and prostate cancers, and even a 40–50 percent decrease in lung cancer, along with similar reductions in cancers at other sites. Such a diet would be conducive to preventing cancer and would favor recovery from cancer as well.” 

1) Consume fewer calories – “Eating too much food is one of the main risk factors for cancer.This can be shown two ways: (1) by the additional risks of malignancies caused by obesity, and (2) by the protective effect of eating less food. 

2) Consume as little refined sugar as possible – “Case-control studies and prospective population studies have tested the hypothesis that there is an association between a diet with a high glycemic load and cancer…” 

3) Eat more fruits and vegetables – “One of the most important messages of modern nutrition research is that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables protects against cancer…” 

4) Include cruciferous vegetables in your diet – “Cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, Brussels sprouts) contain sulforophane, which has anti-cancer properties…” (READ MORE1) 

what is ductal carcinoma in-situ what is ductal carcinoma in-situ what is ductal carcinoma in-situ

Leave a Comment:

Popular posts

Multiple Myeloma Diet
 Multiple Myeloma Multiple Myeloma Diet
Feb 15, 2022
Multiple Myeloma Second Opinion: 7 Questions Every Newly Diagnosed Patient Should Ask
 Multiple Myeloma
Nov 04, 2022
C-B-D Enhances Velcade (BORT)
 integrative therapy Multiple Myeloma
Aug 07, 2022
Can Endometrial Polyps Become Cancer? What Women Need to Know
 Endometrial Cancer
Nov 14, 2021