About 1200 women are diagnosed with DCIS each year in Australia. Because DCIS cannot usually be felt as a breast lump or other breast change, most cases are found by routine screening with mammograms. Most women are not aware of any symptoms at the time of diagnosis.
DCIS can be found in women at any age, however, most women are between 50 and 59 years old when their DCIS is found. DCIS can also develop in men although this is very rare.
The introduction of mammographic screening programs for breast cancer has seen an increase in the diagnosis of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS). The benefit of finding DCIS is that steps can be taken to prevent it developing into invasive breast cancer. The down side is that many women will receive significant treatments for a condition that may or may not develop into invasive disease.
Many women feel confused about the difference between a diagnosis of DCIS and invasive breast cancer. If you have been diagnosed with or are being investigated for DCIS, this information aims to assist you in understanding your diagnosis and making decisions about your treatment and care.
Your partners, family and friends might also find it useful. The information is based on the evidence available at the time of publication. New treatments are continually being developed and might be introduced in the future. If you hear about any technologies and treatments that are not mentioned here, please ask your doctors for more information.
If you were found to have invasive breast cancer at the same time as DCIS, this information does not apply to you. To order information about invasive breast cancer, contact National Breast and Ovarian Cancer Centre on freecall 1800 624 973 or ask your doctor.
