Where are the studies of women (like me) who have taken a less aggressive path for “low-risk” DCIS? 

Until now — they didn’t exist.

Thanks to $13.4 million in funding from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI), a long over-due clinical trial for DCIS has officially launched.

It’s called The COMET Study.

The goal is to learn if women with low-risk DCIS can avoid aggressive treatments and their physical and/or emotional side effects.

COMET stands for Comparison of Operative to Monitoring and Endocrine Therapy. It is a randomized prospective study that will enroll 1200 women at 100 cancer centers throughout the US.

My Role as a Patient Advocate

In 2016, I was invited to be one of four patient advocates on The COMET Study team.

We have enjoyed the opportunity to keep patient perspectives at the forefront of the study as well as this new website: www.dcisoptions.org

Since my DCIS diagnosis in 2010, I have been following and sharing the forward-thinking wisdom of a handful of breast cancer experts who were speaking out for the need for studies like COMET. It is such a blessing to now be working with some of these compassionate doctors who are leading the COMET Study…

Shelley Hwang, MD, Chief of Breast Surgery, Duke Cancer Institute

Alastair Thompson, MD, Professor of surgery, MD Anderson

Ann Partridge, MD, MPH, Dana Farber

In this video Dr. Shelley Hwang and I share patient and physician perspectives on DCIS.

Donna Pinto, DCIS 411

I hope every woman diagnosed with low-risk DCIS today knows they have a great opportunity that did not exist for me (and thousands others) in the past.

I feel an incredible sense of gratitude to all the forces and people that have made the COMET Study possible — to the physicians and cancer centers who are making it available — and to the women who will participate. Thank you!

A 2nd Project Takes DCIS Research Global 

I’m honored, thrilled, humbled and grateful to be a part of an international team of scientists and patient advocates from the UK, the Netherlands, and the US on a 2nd paradigm-shifting research project.

Preventing Unnecessary Breast Cancer Treatment  was recently awarded 15 million pounds by Cancer Research UK’s Grand Challenge.

The goal is to identify bio-markers that can distinguish DCIS patients with a low risk of developing cancer from patients with a high risk.

In this video, Jelle Wesseling, pathologist from the Netherlands Cancer Institute, discusses the need to be able to distinguish harmless DCIS from the potentially hazardous DCIS.

This research may help spare thousands of women unnecessary treatment.

More similar studies in Europe and the UK

1. Management of Low-risk DCIS (LORD)
2. The LORIS Trial: Addressing Overtreatment of Ductal Carcinoma In Situ

Sadly, just as I was getting acquainted with the work of Adele Francis (LORIS trial Principal Investigator), I learned of her sudden passing.

Although I did not know Adele personally, when I watched this video, I felt we we were kindred spirits.

So many lives have been blessed by Adele’s work and passion. May her spirit and wisdom continue to shine down upon all of us.

~ Donna Pinto, @DCIS411

“Travel Light. Live Light. Spread the Light. Be the Light.”