For Managing Ductal Carcinoma in Situ, How Important Is Choice of Surgeon?

Type of treatment and presence of positive margins varied substantially among breast surgeons.

Management of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) is controversial, even as long-term survival approaches 99% and varies little with type of therapy. In relatively few studies of DCIS has treatment efficacy been evaluated based on detailed clinical and therapeutic information. Using data from tumor registries in Monroe County, New York, and Detroit, Michigan, investigators retrospectively assessed disease-free survival in 994 women with DCIS that was diagnosed from 1985 through 2000 (median follow-up, 5 years). Treatment (surgery, radiation therapy [RT]), excisional margin status, and surgeons' roles in treatments, margin status, and outcomes were analyzed in relation to risk for ipsilateral DCIS recurrence or invasive breast cancer.

Among 50 su…

Reviewing Author

Henry Mark Kuerer, MD, PhD, FACS

Disclosures

Speaker's BureauPhysicians’ Education Resource, LLC

RoyaltiesMcGraw-Hill Professional; UpToDate, Inc.

Editorial BoardsAnnals of Surgical Oncology

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesAmerican Society of Breast Surgeons (Chair, Publications Committee)