Expert 2nd Pathology Opinion:
Tests to help INDIVIDUALIZE Your “Risk”
- DCISionRT: analyzes tissue from biopsy or surgery and gives a score to determine individual risk of future DCIS or invasive cancer as low or elevated.
- Oncotype DX for DCIS: analyzes tissue from biopsy or surgery and gives a score to determine individual risk of future DCIS or invasive cancer as low or elevated.
- The Van Nuys Prognostic Index: Offers a tailored prognosis based on DCIS size & grade, margins and patient age.
Alternative Imaging
- SonoCine Automated Whole Breast Ultrasound (AWBUS): Invented by 35 year expert radiologist Dr. Kevin Kelly, AWBUS can find tiny (4-5mm) INVASIVE cancers often missed on mammography, especially in dense breast tissue.
- “Dedicated” breast MRI
- Thermography
Innovative Surgical Options
- Cryoablation with Dr. Dennis Holmes
- Dr. Melvin Silverstein: “Oncoplastic” lumpectomies with breast reconstruction
Clinical Trials for Low-risk DCIS
MDs leading Active Surveillance movement for low-risk DCIS
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- Dr. Shelley Hwang, Chief of Breast Surgery, Duke Cancer Institute, Why Doctors Are Rethinking Breast-Cancer Treatment, TIME Magazine, Oct, 2015
- Dr. Ann Partridge, Founder and Director, Program for Young Women with Breast Cancer; Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School Dana-Farber to study ways to reduce overtreatment of DCIS
- Dr. Alastair Thompson, Professor and Chief, Section of Breast Surgery, Baylor College of Medicine Study seeks best way to manage breast ‘pre-cancer’
- Dr. Wen Liang, Anne Arundel Medical Center’s Rebecca Fortney Breast Center, Seeking less aggressive breast cancer treatment, Anne Arundel Medical Center takes part in clinical trial
- Dr. Laura Esserman, Director of the Breast Care Center at UCSF, A Breast Cancer Surgeon Who Keeps Challenging the Status Quo;Ductal Carcinoma in Situ: Where We Have Been and Where We Can Be
- Dr. Susan Love, Chief visionary officer of Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation (DSLRF), DCIS Video 2016; DCIS: The Measure of the Margin
- Dr. Deanna J. Attai, Assistant Clinical Professor of Surgery at the David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA, Past- President of the American Society of Breast Surgeons, Active Surveillance for DCIS
Online DCIS Support Group
- DCIS Integrative Support & Empowerment (Facebook Group)
Media Stories — DCIS Overdiagnosis & Overtreatment
- Media — Featuring Donna’s Story and more: Inside Edition, ABC News, Women’s Health, The Daily Beast, KPBS/ NPR, The Washington Post, CNN, TIME, Prevention, Good morning America, etc.
- It’s Ok to Opt Out of Mammograms, Christie Aschwanden, October 10, 2019
- Even More Evidence That Mammograms Have Been Oversold, Christie Aschwanden
- What If Everything Your Doctors Told You About Breast Cancer Was Wrong? For years, scientists have known that mammograms are largely ineffective. Why can’t we get that message across?, Mother Jones, Oct 2015
- When Cancer is not Cancer, The California Sunday Magazine, Dec 2014
- No Easy Answers The name — ductal carcinoma in situ — begs the question: how to treat a small breast lesion that has yet to spread., Proto, January, 2014
- Critical Thinking on Breast Cancer, JAMA Editorial on Opting Out of Mammography, Gayle Sulik, PhD, Dec 2014
- Misfearing Breast Cancer More evidence that routine mammograms make healthy people sick.,
- FAQs about breast cancer screening, Christie Aschwanden | Oct 2013
- The real scandal: science denialism at Susan G. Komen for the Cure®, Christie Aschwanden | Feb 2012
- The Risk-Benefit Calculation of Mammograms,
- Take Carcinoma Out of DCIS and Ease Off Treatment, Jan 2010
- A Breast Cancer You May Not Need to Treat, Sept 2011- More.com
- The American Holistic Health Association: What Doctors Don’t Tell You About Breast Cancer: Half the time it’s not cancer at all
- Emerging Ways to Treat and Prevent Breast Cancer – Dr. Sheldon M. Feldman, NY Presbyterian Hospital , Aug 2011
- Don’t Let Fear Drive Early Breast Cancer Treatment, Aug 2010
Must Watch Documentary Films:
- The Dark Side of Mammography
- THE PROMISE Film: Exposing the truth about the Routine Breast Screening Program
- HappyGram
- 3D Investigates: Breast screening – the truth (New Zealand)
Natural /Holistic Lifestyle Strategies
- Donna’s Official “Better-than-Awareness” Checklist
- Active Surveillance P L U S — Donna’s Vision
- “Hormone Imbalance” by Barbara O’Neill
- Chris Beat Cancer (chemo-free colon cancer survivor and natural healing guru)
- Elyn Jacobs (breast cancer survivor, patient advocate/researcher, wellness coach)
- Crazy Sexy Wellness(Kris Carr)
- Proactive Breast Health Club (DCIS Redefined)
- Donna’s Choice: Global Healing from the Inside Out (Facebook Group)
Naturopathic/Integrative Healthcare
- Bastyr University Clinic — San Diego
- UC San Diego Center for Integrative Medicine
- American Association of Naturopathic Physicians
- Life Extension Directory of Innovative Doctors
- Lotus Rain Clinic, San Diego (Dr. Kristine Reese)
Book Recommendations:
- Overdiagnosed: Making People Sick in the Pursuit of Health, Dr. H. Gilbert Welch, MD
- Patient Heal Thyself, Jordan S. Rubin, N.M.D., PH. D.
- Anticancer: A New Way of Life, David Servan-Screiber, MD, PhD
- You Did What? Saying ‘No’ to Conventional Cancer Treatment, Hollie & Patrick Quinn
- Herbal Medicine, Healing & Cancer: A Comprehensive Program for Prevention and Treatment, Donald Yance, Jr., C.N, M.H, A.H.G
- Chris Beat Cancer: A Comprehensive Plan for Healing Naturally, Chris Wark
- Mind Over Medicine, Scientific Proof That You Can Heal Your Life, Lissa Rankin, MD
- Radical Remission, Kelly Turner, PhD
- Cancer: Step Outside the Box, Ty Bollinger
Nonprofit Organizations:
- DCIS Redefined
- Give Wellness
- Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation
- The Mederi Foundation
- Breast Cancer Action
- National Breast Cancer Coalition
- Environmental Working Group
This is great! Thanks for putting all these resources on here! 😀 Does anybody know of a DCIS support group in Southern Cailfornia? They have one in Northern CA but I can’t find one down here. I just called UCLA Simms/Mann Center and they told me they used to have one but not anymore. Thank you and white light! 😀
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I too have called around San Diego Cancer Centers and there is no DCIS specific support group. I went to a Breast Cancer support group and it wasn’t what I was looking for. Please let me know if you hear of a DCIS- specific support group in So. cal! Thanks Marimar….and white light back!
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Hi dp4peace,
There’s a group in Palo Alto apparently. I called there and they gave me some numbers to call in Southern California. I will let you know if I find one down here. Thank you so much for this website. It’s a great source of information and makes me feel less alone with all this. Thank you and white light!
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How can I go about finding a doctor who will go along with an Clive surveillance treatment plan for me? Is there a list of doctors like that. I live in Idaho, work in Alaska, have family in Houston and family and property in Arizona. I could go most anywhere but west of the Mississippi would be my preference. How do I find patients and doctors who are doing this. Sadly, I can’t get in on the COMET trial so I am doctor shopping on my own.
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Hi Jaque,
Unfortunately most doctors are hesitant to support Active Surveillance for DCIS outside of a clinical trial. The Drs I have listed here are the ones who are the most outspoken publicly about “less is more” approach for low-risk DCIS. Probably best to post in Facebook Group: dcis integrative support & empowerment: https://www.facebook.com/search/top/?q=dcis%20integrative%20support%20%26%20empowerment
Other option is to email Dr. Laura Esserman and ask her if she can recommend anyone in your preferred areas. Or you could see her in San Francisco at UCSF or one of her colleagues. Here is another good resource:https://dcispatient.com/ however the doctors listed are the same as here!
Good luck in your search and please share what you learn here and/or in Facebook group! 🙂
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Jaque Ledbetter, I have 3 doctors on my team helping me with DCIS. Two of them are integrative oncologists board certified and neither would “approve” me not having surgery, but respected my choice to wait. My 3rd doctor is from China “board certified” there but not in US, and even she said there was nothing wrong with me doing the surgery, but has been most helpful with alternative things. One of the Integrative oncologists is Dr. Robert Thompson in Soldotna AK and has a satellite office in Anchorage. If you are going there and want to consult with him, his contact info is listed below, but I have never met him, all is done over the phone. He highly recommended Jane McLelland’s book “How to Starve Cancer” and has ordered tests to track my progress and off label medications that work against cancer.
Aurorahealthandnutrition.com
Dr. Robert G Thompson MD FACOG
Integrative Medicine & Integrative Oncology
188 W Marydale Ave 3500 LaTouche St.
Soldotna, AK 99669 Suite 360
907-260-6914 Phone Anchorage, AK 99508
907-260-6924 Fax
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address on the left is in Soldotna, address on the right is in Anchorage. I realized after that the cut/paste mis-formatted. I would edit it if I could to make it more readable.
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