WHAT TREATMENTS ARE USED FOR NON-INVASIVE BREAST CANCER?
The management of non-invasive breast cancer, ductal carcinoma in situ and lobular carcinoma in situ, is much different than with invasive cancer of the breast. Treatment options are less clear cut in non- invasive cancer of the breast. Ductal carcinoma in situ is a pre-invasive cancer. Its treatment is based on the risk of this disease evolving into an invasive cancer which is then life- threatening. Treatment options for ductal carcinoma in situ include lumpectomy, lumpectomy combined with radiation therapy, and simple mastectomy. A simple mastectomy is an operation which removes the entire breast, but does not remove the axillary lymph nodes as is done in a modified radical mastectomy. If the area involved with ductal carcinoma is quite small (one centimeter or less) then simply removing this area alone may suffice. If the area of breast involved is larger, then further therapy is usually indicated, because the risk of the breast cancer recurring is reasonably high over the ensuing
