“I encourage women to get as much information as you can before deciding on your DCIS treatment. It is your health and your body, so you don’t want to go overboard with treatments, especially radiation, if you don’t have to.”
Cathy and her husband have always enjoyed the active California lifestyle. She grew up in Southern California, spending much of her adult life in Huntington Beach. Cathy retired 8 years ago after a successful career in the securities industry. After her retirement, she embarked on an adventure of caring for a previous co-worker’s 3 boys. “My kids are both grown up and in their mid to late 20s, so they loved it. They said it took the pressure off them.”
“I have always been good about having mammograms each year. So, when I received a letter that my latest mammogram was a bit off and they wanted to repeat it, I didn’t think much about it. That was in January. Between January and March, I had biopsies and MRIs and a lot of doctor appointments until I finally had a lumpectomy. The diagnosis was ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), also known as stage zero breast cancer. It was low grade, and the margins were clear. I was relieved!”
“When I met with the doctor, she recommended radiation therapy followed by hormone therapy. I really didn’t want radiation. It seemed too invasive. The DCIS was in my left breast over my heart and lungs. I started researching and learned that sometimes the treatment for DCIS is overdone. I shared this concern with my oncologist, and she told me about the DCISionRT test that uses a patient’s own tumor biology to determine a risk recurrence score. A test to determine my personal risk of recurrence and to guide treatment decisions sounded perfect. She ordered the test. In the meantime, the radiation oncologist was telling me that radiation therapy was no big deal. It felt like a big deal to me. That is when I reached out to Dede at PreludeDx. She was very supportive and helped me through the process of getting the test.”
“This was a really stressful time. I was told radiation therapy should be started 8 to 10 weeks after surgery and I was getting close to that deadline. I had the radiation therapy scheduled and they had done a couple of scans and marked the radiation spots with black Xs. But I didn’t want to decide until I had the DCISionRT test. Luckily, I received the DCISionRT results the day before my first scheduled radiation session.”
“My risk of the DCIS recurring within 10 years was 9% with surgery alone and 5% with surgery and radiation. My 10-year risk of developing invasive breast cancer was 6% with surgery alone and 3% with surgery and radiation. My oncologist said that hormone therapy would lower that percentage by a percent or two. Based on my DCISionRT scores, I decided to not move forward with radiation therapy as that was risk I was willing to take.”
“I tell everyone I speak with to make sure you have your mammogram every year. I was very good about getting one the same month every year. That is how we caught my DCIS early. If you let it go a year or two, you might be in a pickle. I also encourage women to get as much information as you can before deciding on your treatment. It is your health and your body, so you don’t want to go overboard with treatments, especially radiation, if you don’t have to.”
“I’m certainly happy to have this behind me. My husband and I recently bought an RV and toured through several National Parks on the west coast. Now I’m raising a service dog for Canine Companions. It is very fun and very rewarding. The puppy should be ready for his professional training in November, so we’ll be free to hit the road again.”
