Here is a fact that doctors likely did not tell celebrity chef Sandra Lee upon her diagnosis of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) and before she had a double mastectomy: A woman’s risk of dying from DCIS within five years of diagnosis is less than one percent.
But here’s the real shocker…
According to many experts within the halls of conventional allopathic medicine itself, DCIS shouldn’t even be classified as a form of breast cancer to begin with!
Instead of giving Sandra Lee these facts, her doctors put fear into her and told her she was a “ticking time bomb.”
If only she would have listened to Dr. Otis Brawley, chief medical officer of the American Cancer Society:
“The amazing thing is, today we have women who are getting bilateral mastectomies because of ductal carcinoma in situ. But the same women, if diagnosed with true breast cancer, would choose to get a lumpectomy and radiation—far less treatment for the real cancer….Ductal carcinoma in situ is such a frightening word, and it causes so much emotion on the part of doctors and patients. Some experts have said maybe we should take that frightening word carcinoma out of the phrase [DCIS] and instead call it an indolent lesion of undetermined origin.”
Or what Dr. Anne Partridge, MD, MPH, of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute has to say:
“There’s hysteria around breast cancer. The extremism that sometimes comes into play in DCIS treatment decision making is a ‘cultural problem.’ This is not a life-threatening problem.”
What Is DCIS?
To reiterate, DCIS is a considered a “NON-cancer.”
Ductal cell carcinoma in situ (DCIS) is a condition of abnormal and non-cancerous cells contained within the breast’s milk ducts that have not spread to tissues nearby. It is categorized as a “pre-cancerous” condition by conventional medicine. Despite this fact, Sandra Lee’s doctors still recommended a double mastectomy, which she had.
My heart sincerely goes out to Sandra Lee, who tearily broke the news of “a call from doctor” for the first time on ABC’s Good Morning America in May of 2015. It is understandable why so many women are downright confused by what exactly a DCIS diagnosis means. Many more are puzzled by the fact that they are being treated by their doctor as if they have breast cancer.
The same establishment that questions the validity of DCIS as cancer also puts women’s lives at risk by the cookie-cutter cancer “treatments” that they promote and often push on to women.
Treatments for DCIS Can Cause Invasive Cancer
DCIS is not invasive cancer. It sits “in situ” inside the wall of the breast’s milk ducts. And therein lies a big problem for many women with what happens after diagnosis. The normal recommended protocol for women with DCIS continues to be the same treatments that exist for invasive breast cancer patients. This includes: mastectomy, radiation, lumpectomy, and rounds of toxic drugs. For DCIS patients, the chemical of choice is the hormone therapy drug Tamoxifen.
These very protocols often lead to full-blown invasive cancer in woman with DCIS. To explain this, let’s dive into the three main treatments for DCIS by conventional doctors:
- Lumpectomy: Lumpectomy is a surgical procedure. Because it is invasive, it breaches the natural barriers which would otherwise keep a tumor encased. This enables cells to spread to other systems in the body. Surgery also reduces the activity of natural killer cells, whose jobs it is to destroy cancer cells.
- Radiation treatment: In the case of radiation treatment for DCIS, the therapy itself (with each repeated dose), significantly raises the risk of breast cancer. Radiation exposure breaks the bonds of the DNA, causing free radicals to form. This, in turn, translates into oxidative stress and possibly cancer. It also increases the growth of breast cancer stem cells.
- Tamoxifen: The World Health Organization (WHO) as well as the American Cancer Society both classify the hormone blocking drug Tamoxifen as a carcinogen (a chemical that actually causes cancer). Studies also show that the risk of endometrial cancer doubles (and in some cases quadruples) with five years of use. In addition, there is a higher risk of stomach and colon cancer, blood clots, neurological impairment, liver complications, and low libido.
The Mammogram-DCIS Connection
The number of DCIS cases in the US has risen from roughly two per 100,000 in the mid-70s to 33 per 100,000 by 2004. The condition was very rare prior to the 1980s, which was about the time the push for mammogram as the go-to method for breast cancer detection began.
Mammograms increase the incidence of breast cancer as well as conditions such as DCIS in two significant ways. First, mammograms emit low-dose radiation into the breast area. Exposure to low level radiation by medical equipment is the second largest cause of radiation-induced cancer in the United States in general.
Dr. Johnnie Ham of Prestige Medical Center in Pismo Beach, California, puts the hypocrisy as well as the dangers of mammogram into perspective:
“At medical school one of the first things we’re taught when it comes to finding a tumor is, don’t touch it…yet with a mammogram you take that breast and.., smash!! Now [with mammography], we’re looking [to see] if something is there ─ and if something is there, there’s the chance of smashing that tumour and spreading it to the vasculature and lymphatic system.”
What Can You Do if You Have DCIS?
If you have been diagnosed with DCIS, don’t be fooled like Sandra Lee was into invasive and harmful procedures that may actually cause breast cancer. Instead, do your research, listen to what your body has to say, and seek the advice of a doctor or natural health practitioner that can give you ALL the facts as well as all of the options for preventative and proactive care.
Unlike the medical professionals that counselled Sandra Lee, there are many conventional doctors who take a conservative, wait-and-see approach to DCIS. There are also non-invasive ways to monitor your breast health. Procedures such as thermography can detect inflammation in the breast tissue. The Oncoblot Test can detect cancerous cells long before mammography can, sometimes when tumors are no larger than the size of a pinhead.
Support your body overall with specific herbs, supplements, and fresh, organic foods. Live a healthy breast lifestyle (which is also a healthy body lifestyle) and monitor your breast health regularly in non-invasive ways. Remember: you are NOT a ticking time bomb if you have DCIS. In fact, time is on your side when it comes to healing from DCIS and creating a healthy breast protocol that is right for you.
I had the same diagnosed as Sandra.My cyst was only 1.4 cm NEU-2 negative. The oncologist, the surgeon and the nurse were after me to go through the 3 procedures you mentioned: lympectomy, radiation & tamoxifen.I was lucky to read more about and I did come across an article stating that DCIS is indeed NOT considered a CANCER!
I did not fall into their trap and I refused any kind of surgery or conventional treatment. After 4 months of protocol: diet-cannabis oil-kernel apricots, Non GMO sulfur, Vit D, Vit C IV, and many other supplements, the blood test came back perfect. I still have to go for further test to be sure.
Nobody is talking about invasive ductal. I chose not to have surgery, chemo, radiation or drugs for an 8cm tumor but it had spread within my breast. I did have a biopsy which was very invasive, but I felt I needed to know the type. They staged it at 3b because of the spread and enlarged lymph nodes in armpit. The largest tumor shrunk in half on my last scan with my alternative protocol and there was nothing wrong in the armpit. Going to go where cannabis is legal next, because I can still tell there is a tumor but my question is… Is invasive DCIS still a non-cancer???
I was diagnosed with invasive ductal carcinoma with HER2 and doctors told me that a mastectomy was the only cure. The surgeon made several incisions on my breast and under my arm to remove lymph nodes. It was a 1.8 cm tumor removed and lymph nodes were fine. Stage one. No chemo or radiation needed, but must take a pill every night to kill estrogen and a pill once a week to keep my bones strong because the nightly pill kills the bone and gives me osteoporosis and the once a week pill is damaging my liver. Therefore, must have blood tests every two months and a bone density test every six months as told by my oncologist. Post cancer surgery is very expensive but what else could I do. Yes, I eat broccoli and other healthy food, but at times, a cookie or bagel makes me happy.
You need to go see Dr Ernest Cohn in NC, an ethical integrated doctor who will do everything possible not to harm your immune system. I am here now getting treatment. I feel amazing and have more hope now than ever.
Oh WHATEVER!!! I had DCIS on my right AND I had DCIS on my left with MICROINVASION!!! I had MANY options since having DCIS in both breasts! I chose the double mastectomy route for many reasons with one of them being I didn’t want radiation for 6 weeks, especially since my DCIS was close to the chest wall. Nor did I want tamoxifen for 5 years because it can cause uterine cancer and I have tried a hormonal pill in the past for 3 months which caused uterine fibroids and a nonstop period for 3 months. My body does not like anything that alters my hormones. I also didn’t want to have mammograms every 6 months if I chose the lumpectomy route with a constant worry of having cancer coming back. YEP! I made the right decision having the DMX and my surgeon also agreed. Why?? Because if I had chosen the lumpectomy route with radiation and tamoxifen, the surgeon would not have been able to get clear margins in both my breasts which means, a DMX would have been the next course of action anyway. LASTLY, after the final path report of my boobs after they have been removed, showed I had many OTHER THINGS going on like ALH and more ADH which was NEVER caught on mammo, ultrasound, nor MRI. AND YOU ARE TELLING US THAT DCIS IS NOT CANCER???? WHATEVER!! Oh, I didn’t have a lump, mass or tumor. I had a yearly mammogram which showed microcalcifications in clusters in BOTH breasts and yet, I had microinvasion on my left with comedonecrosis and high grade after stereotactic biopsies. That mammogram saved my life. I had evil ugly mean cells that hated each other because they didn’t form a buddy system to create a mass, lump or tumor. These evil cells had a mind of their own (the comedonecrosis and high grade nuclei) and these evil cells wanted to do an adventure ride and was coming out of the duct and ready to do a free fall and venture out on their own. Yep, I did the right thing and don’t regret my DMX, EVEN THOUGH YOU SAY DCIS IS NOT CANCER!!!!
Absolutely agree with you! Thanks for posting! Dcis is stage 0 and it is Very often that in post op they discover it to be invasive and in fact not stage 0 but 1 or even 2! The most recent article on this terrible website is that mammograms cause cancer…Mammograms more than cause cancer They Save Lives!
There are new Thermalgram mammograms that do not squish your breast and are safer.
Agreed!! To say DCIS is not cancer is irresponsible and careless at best. There is no guarantee that it isn’t already invasive (unless you remove and biopsy all breast tissue) but the chances that it is definitely exists. And as a mother, wife, and 43 year young woman who already does all that I can to stay healthy (even before my diagnosis of high grade DCIS) I plan to have a double mastectomy because I will do whatever I can to still be here for my family! I had to pick the lesser of the evils and at least I am dodging radiation and Tamoxifen by having surgery.
MW-You are right. It is an early cancer. Why would anyone plat Russian Roulette to see if it turns invasive.
Completely agree with you and I had the same, but single and 9cm affected area.
I was diagnosed with DCIS and chose to do double mastectomy due to a separate noncancerous issue on opposite side. When pathology came back there was invasive cancer within the “nest” of the DCIS that wasn’t picked up on the biopsy. So glad I made the decision I did. CX was Her-2 and estrogen positive and staged as 1A. I had 12 weeks of low dose taxol and continue with herceptin treatments thru October. Tamoxifen has been pushed as a follow up therapy but I have refused based on the info received on TTAC website and other research I have done. I also started seeing an oncology naturopath and got my diet under control and I take natural supplements to keep cancer cells in check. My medical oncologist was not happy about my refusal of tamoxifen but it is my body, not hers.
I had Invasive Ductal Carcinoma with HER-2/neu Negative (1+) . This is all so confusing. I had a bilateral mastectomy, chemo and radiation and 1 year of Herceptin infusions. 12 lymph nodes removed. So, now I’m left with Anxiety attacks and a lot of tension throughout my body every day. They prescribed Tamoxifen, I took it for one month and stopped. I did not know about this series The Truth about Cancer until recently. Oh, they also took out my Thyroid because I had a couple large nodules on it and the biopsy could not tell them 100% if they were cancerous or not, turns out, no cancer but now I don’t have a Thyroid. Can anyone shed any light on my situation? Thank you.
I’m interested also. Just diagnosed with Invasive Ductal Carcinoma. Had a biopsy but have t done anything else yet.
After the biopsy, you might be able to choose a partial mastectomy ( lumpectomy ) where they also take a sentinel node for testing. An OncotypeDx test can be done on the mass to test for agressiveness, genetics and risk of recurrence. Go with your gut on every decision. Some people will do it all and that is the best for them and some folks will have a comfort level with watchful surveillance over time. It all depends on each individuals results …so LOTS of reading, askng, phoning up experts and research PUBMED for science about YOUR particular situation.
DCIS IS A CANCER-NON-INVASIVE(confined to the ducts) and if not treated, can spread. So those who say it isn’t cancer, what makes you an expert?? There needs to be research and all experts, including doctors have no real idea what cancers can turn invasive. So don’t make judgements on smart women who are doing the right thing before it can possibly become worse.
There is no invasive DCIS. It is IDC. Invasive Ductal Carcinoma. If you hare IDC that is considered cancer
If you have IDC you have invasive cancer
If you Have DCIS, you have non invasive cancer
Non invasive Because it is encased within the milk ducts, it will eventually spread, and become invasive, how soon depends on what grade it is and how good your body is at fighting cancer.
Had Ductal Carcinoma in 1999. My surgeon suggested lumpectomy and radiation. He believed that if not going with the surgery, I may end up with “full blown” cancer within a certain number of years. After the surgery for 2 years, I had mammograms and breast exams every six months. After that, once a year for mammogram and breast exam. Every case is different. I believed and trusted my breast surgeon.
Hi Ms Martin,
I was diagnosed with DCIS and had surgery on the 11th of September 2018. My surgeon said I will have 3!weeks radiation this time (had mastectomy in April 2004 had chemo, 5 wks radiation and 5 years tamoxifen). I went to the oncologist on the 25th of September and was advised to have 5 weeks of radiation because 3 weeks has no support evidence.
Could I ask pls how many weeks radiation you had.
I live in Australia.
This whole article is BS and irresponsible. If I hadn’t had the mastectomy I did, I wouldn’t have know that it was high grade, already breaking through the duct walls, and spread throughout all the ducts in one breast. So, should we just wait and hope for the best when diagnosed with DCIS?? Hope we don’t actually have invasive cancer and die?
I agree! My pathology was mixed, both DCIS and invasive-ductal. I did bilateral mastectomies, chemo and radiation. Telling patients that the treatments cause cancer is a scare tactic!!
Do you really want to walk around with a mass in your breast that can turn into cancer on a dime like mine did? The treatment isn’t a picnic, but they make it tolerable. Not only that, it saves lives, like mine.
exactly . Yes I too had high grade and opted for a double . So happy I did 14 years later now .
Kizzy. I just would like to know if you took 5 years worth of aromatase blockers or tamoxifen or anything like that after your DMX. I do not want to take them because of the awful side effects I have read about but I want to hear if anyone has taken them after the DMX?
Diane, did you have double mastectomy and refused inhibitor follow up? I’m facing same decisions w/ both after my recent diagnosis of DCIS
What is a healthy protocol if one has been diagnosed with DCIS?
Please find a competent well regarded breast surgeon, oncologist and plastic surgeon who work as a team and at a hospital that is highly rated. Work with them on your particular situation and then take your time to make the right decision for you based upon all the facts and information you have. Do NOT read articles like this one. Does this writer actually believe that Sandra Lee, whose partner is the governor of NY, didn’t have the best medical team available and therefore didn’t make the best decision possible for her?! I had a bilateral MX after diagnosis of DCIS because I had a history of “busy breasts”, a strong family history of BC and tested positive for gene mutations. It was a best decision for me given my circumstances. This article is insulting to me.
I agree that with a DCIS diagnosis, we have time to do research. I watched TTAC after my first DCIS round 3 years ago. I tried my own protocols, but not supported by a practitioner. Next round of scans was clean, but never had clean margins. A spot of it recurred March of this year and in 6 months of active surveillance (but poor lifestyle habits) grew into 2 large masses and another large area of pleomorohic calcifications. I am comfortable with my decision for mastectomy. I had very little tissue, am young, strong family history and 3 young children. I wish I could have gone a natural route but feel discouraged that my life as a working, single mom just hasn’t allowed for it, nor the finances to afford naturopathic/out of pocket support. I will know final pathology this week and thank God my lymph node was clean. I agree with this article to an extent. But we are all different and need to follow our guts as well as learn and advocate for ourselves. I now know better how & what to change to avoid any future problems. But from being reluctant about the first lumpectomy (it took two cuz they found more the first time…AHL upgraded to more DCIS) to agreeing to a mastectomy…I read and read and am at peace with my choices 🙂
Hi Cyndi,
Thanks for sharing part of your story with us! We are glad to hear that you researched and found out what was best for your based on your circumstances. Wishing you a happy and healthy life!
I had DCIS high grade ( yes it was growing fast) I had small breasts so could not get a lumpectomy . I chose to have a bilateral as often if you have a problem
with one breast it also means most likely the other will have a problem
years down the track . I also didn’t want to go through the same medical procedures again . I have accepted my body without breasts . To be honest now I would rather be flat and alive than carrying round old worn out breasts that might have a problem down the track . Funny now 14 years later when I see breasts I think oh glad I don’t have to worry about mine anymore ! And sexually yes when I was younger I did worry but hey its now old 14 years later and weirdly like all my friends over 50 sex just isn’t on my mind any more !
And I don’t have the worry like my friends do about whether I might get a cancer in them!