A rose is a rose is a rose
except with breast cancer. What Gertrude Stein meant about the rose is a thing
is itself no matter the name or how it is described. The language used to
describe the diagnosis, the most common form of breast cancer is under
debate and it is not all roses.
Ductal in situ carcinoma,
DCIS, is not the same as Invasive breast cancer. Just to confuse the subject
more, doctors will use terms as stage 0 cancer and noninvasive cancer to
describe DCIS.
About 25% of all cancers in
the US are DCIS. That is over 50,000 cases per year. 60%-80% of all DCIS cases
are benign and will never progress to an invasive cancer.
Terminology in recent
studies shows how this language hodgepodge about DCIS impacts the patient’s
perception and course of action. What this means is that many women over
treat their diagnosis because they hear the word cancer.
The studies are not
recommending that if the name is changed screening should decrease. The debate
is about changing the name DCIS to a name that does not have the word carcinoma
in it. The thinking is that the use of
cancer or carcinoma in the name of the disease be only used when describing
lesions “with a reasonable likelihood of lethal progression if left untreated”.
A new name and acronym is IDLE, indolent lesions of epithelial origin. Another
name being considered is intraepithelial neoplasia because that is already used
with other organs including the cervix, vagina and prostate.
The number of DCIS cases is
increasing with the sophistication of digital mammography and breast MRI. This
is good news because early detection is treatable. With more cases come more confusion about
treatment options and health outcomes.
Just think what you would be
thinking if you are given a diagnosis of a suspicious lesion of the breast from
your yearly mammogram. You may be sent for an ultra sound and then a biopsy.
The data confirms ductal in situ carcinoma. Did you hear that it is not
invasive?
Are you confused yet? Having
DCIS puts you at a higher risk of invasive breast cancer but it is not the same
as having invasive breast cancer. This name change is a volatile yet
interesting subject, one that is still in the debating phase.
What are your thoughts? Would
a change of name change your outlook?
October is breast cancer
awareness month.
8 comments:
I think I would freak out no matter what they called it!
I think changing the name to tie in with other similar conditions elsewhere in the body makes the most sense.
Names do make a difference, and for those of us who watched a mother, grandmother, or aunt deal with breast cancer, just the word cancer NEAR the word breast can send us into code pink.
No doubt it is an easy freak out!
I like Beverly your code pink reference, and it is a tough subject by any name.
This is a dilemma for me because in my case, the diagnosis was Invasive Ductal Carcinoma (Stage II) but the the real terror-inducing part was after I elected to do a double mastectomy, Lobular and dangerous precancer was found in both breasts. I guess if I had DCIS, even if it's not cancer, I would want to know the likelyhood there might be more lurking undetected. On the other hand, breast cancer surgery and reconstruction is MUCH more complicated and involved than most women (including me) realize when they begin the process.
Thanks Valerie for sharing your experience and honesty!
My Mom is a survivor. I've had a biopsy myself. The words didn't matter to me, I would have been no more or less scared no matter what I had been told, either time. The only words that mattered were "cancer" paired with "free".
Thanks for commenting Karen. I agree with you, Cancer.. Free.. are 2 wonderful words!~
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