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Ductal Carcinoma in Situ

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Breast Cancer Management for Surgeons

Abstract

Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) represents some 25% of screen-detected breast neoplasia. Established clinical practice includes surgery, radiotherapy and endocrine therapy, to reduce the likelihood of DCIS recurrence or progression to invasive breast cancer. There is a 2–3% mortality from breast cancer at 10–20 years in those originally diagnosed with DCIS. Radiotherapy significantly reduces the likelihood of local recurrence, while endocrine therapy principally reduces the incidence of local recurrence and contralateral breast neoplasia. However, neither radiotherapy nor endocrine therapy significantly alters long-term breast cancer-specific survival. The range of biological behaviour compared with the impact of treatment has emphasised concerns about overdiagnosis and overtreatment. Current studies seek to determine the value of biomarkers in DCIS, while others question the need for surgical excision and radiotherapy compared with active surveillance for low-risk DCIS.

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Correspondence to Alastair M. Thompson ALCM, BSc, MB ChB, MD, FRCSEd .

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Carter, S.A., Pinder, S.E., Thompson, A.M. (2018). Ductal Carcinoma in Situ. In: Wyld, L., Markopoulos, C., Leidenius, M., Senkus-Konefka, E. (eds) Breast Cancer Management for Surgeons. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-56673-3_11

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