Tag Archives: DCIS active surveillance

31 Days of “Little Known” FACTS — For Breast Cancer Awareness Month — Day 13 — Autopsy Studies Find High % of DCIS

Posted on October 13, 2019 by Donna Pinto

Did you know… A review of autopsy records showed that somewhere between 9% and 15% of women have undetected DCIS at death (Welch, 1997). This supports the idea that a proportion of DCIS occurrences will not progress into invasive cancer … Continue reading →

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31 Days of “Little Known” FACTS — For Breast Cancer Awareness Month — Day 10 — UNACCEPTABLE Rates of Failed Surgeries & When to Say “NO MORE”

Posted on October 10, 2019 by Donna Pinto

Did you know… The percentage of women who need a 2nd or 3rd surgery after a lumpectomy, (also called breast conserving surgery (BCS) or partial mastectomy) is alarmingly high — especially for DCIS (stage ZERO breast cancer).  One study showed … Continue reading →

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31 Days of “Little Known” FACTS — For Breast Cancer Awareness Month — Day 6 — Pinkwashing 101

Posted on October 6, 2019 by Donna Pinto

Did you know… The definition of Pinkwasher: A company or organization that claims to care about breast cancer by promoting a pink ribbon product, but at the same time produces, manufactures and/or sells products that are linked to the disease. … Continue reading →

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The Importance of Being Informed, Treated with Compassion, and Advocating for Active Surveillance — Nancy Riopel’s Enlightening DCIS Story

Posted on September 20, 2019 by Donna Pinto

“Please, if you take one thing from my experience, consider the importance of being informed and being willing to advocate for the treatment options that you feel are best for you. I am not DCIS, I am not a ‘tumor’ … Continue reading →

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A New Bio-marker Test for DCIS = Peace of Mind for Thousands of Women

Posted on August 9, 2018 by Donna Pinto

If you are one of the 60,000 + women diagnosed with DCIS this year, you now have a way to gain more peace of mind about what to think and do about it. A company called PreludeDx has scientifically validated … Continue reading →

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Keeping Patient Perspectives at the Forefront of DCIS Research

Posted on January 12, 2018 by Donna Pinto

Patient Advocates from across the US and around the world came together to share insights about DCIS at the 2017 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium. The COMET Study Patient Leadership Team presented “Changing the DCIS Conversation: Development of an Alternative Discourse by … Continue reading →

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Active Surveillance P L U S — Donna’s Vision

Posted on April 11, 2017 by Donna Pinto

“Active surveillance” of a potential cancerous condition through periodic medical imaging in itself can be extremely stressful — and the anxiety, worry and fear of cancer developing or progressing may not go away as time goes on.    Active Surveillance … Continue reading →

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Aggressive Treatments for DCIS — or NOT? New Research Sheds Light

Posted on March 15, 2017 by Donna Pinto

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! Continue reading →

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DCIS Over-treatment Makes Mainstream News — 2015 Highlights

Posted on November 22, 2015 by Donna Pinto

The media madness began in August 2015 following the publication of the most extensive study to date on DCIS in the prestigious medical Journal JAMA Oncology. The study of over 100,000 women concluded there was no “life-saving” benefit to “standard … Continue reading →

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DCIS is NOT Cancer!

Posted on February 6, 2015 by Donna Pinto

“DCIS is not cancer, so why are we calling it cancer and always treating it like it is cancer?” These are the words of Dr. Laura Esserman, Director of the Carol Franc Buck Breast Care Center at the University of … Continue reading →

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