DCIS linked to higher risk of later breast cancer
19 March 2010
Women diagnosed with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS*) have a 4 times higher than average risk of later developing invasive breast cancer, Australian research shows.
And the risk is even greater for younger women, with those diagnosed with DCIS before the age of 40 having a 20 times greater risk than other women of a similar age.
Dr Helen Zorbas, CEO of the National Breast and Ovarian Cancer Centre (NBOCC), said the data underscored the importance of close surveillance of women following DCIS treatment.
“It found that for women who develop invasive cancer after DCIS, the tumours tend to be small, and they tend to be node-negative,” she said.
“This suggests that for these women, their outlook would be comparatively good because of the [early] stage at which it is diagnosed.”
The report, published by the NBOCC and Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, represents the first-ever attempt to quantify post-DCIS risk in Australian women.
*DCIS is the name for abnormal changes in cells in the milk ducts of the breast. It is a non-invasive breast condition — the abnormal cells have not spread outside the milk ducts into the surrounding breast tissue.
Last Reviewed: 19 March 2010
- 1. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare and National Breast and Ovarian Cancer Centre 2010. Risk of invasive breast cancer in women diagnosed with ductal carcinoma in situ in Australia between 1995 and 2005. Cancer series no. 51. Cat. no. CAN 47. Canberra: AIHW. Available at: http://www.aihw.gov.au/publications/can/47/11093.pdf
