DCIS

Okay… so I have cancer. I’m getting more used to saying that. And I’m coming to terms with the fact that I actually do have it and have to deal with it.

Ductal carcinoma in situ is what I’ve been told I have, even though just a couple of weeks ago they told me I had atypical ductal hyperplasia, which isn’t cancerous. As the radiologist explained to me last week when I had the biopsies done, they think the original biopsy only took tissue from the outer edge of this mass that we now know is cancerous.

So what is DCIS? Here is what the Mayo Clinic says on their website:

Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) is considered the earliest form of breast cancer. In DCIS, abnormal cells multiply and form a growth within a milk duct of your breast. DCIS is noninvasive, meaning it hasn’t spread out of the milk duct to invade other parts of the breast.

DCIS is usually found during mammogram screenings, but it can be difficult to detect. Because of increased screening with mammograms, the rate at which DCIS is diagnosed has increased dramatically in recent years.

While DCIS isn’t life-threatening, it does require treatment to prevent the condition from becoming invasive. Most women with DCIS are effectively treated with breast-conserving surgery and radiation.

So, there you go. I have cancer (the more I say it, the easier it gets).