Source: Epilepsia  |  Posted 4 years ago

By Arushi Sinha

SAN FRANCISCO, CA -- April 19, 2007 -- Researchers have found a link between ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) and increased risk of future invasive breast disease, according to data presented here at the 31[^]st[] Annual Symposium of the American Society of Breast Disease (ASBD).

DCIS accounts for 20% to 30% of breast cancers. When treated appropriately, DCIS has been shown to have a high 10-year cancer specific survival (more than 97%). However, the risk of local recurrence following surgery and radiation for this condition is about 16% at 12 years. There are several factors that may predict the risk of tumour recurrence, including size of the tumour, margin width following resection, nuclear grade, and age of the patient at presentation.

"Our goals in this study were to describe the incidence and development of new cancers in patients with previously diagnosed DCIS, as well as to describe long-term outcomes of these patients," explained Shaheenah Dawood, MD, breast fellow, Breast Center, M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, United States.

The researchers reviewed the records of 799 patients with a primary diagnosis of DCIS. Patients who had a prior history of invasive carcinoma were excluded. The researchers also reviewed any reports of a second event, defined as recurrence of disease in the same or the opposite breast. The median age of the study cohort was 54 years, with a median follow up of 2.9 years.

In this study, 45 patients (5.6%) were found to have experienced a second event, 14 (31%) of whom had in situ disease and the other 31 (69%) patients had invasive disease. In addition, the researchers found that the majority of second events occurred in the contralateral breasts (27 patients, 60%). The risk of a second event was calculated to be 6.6% after 5 years and 26.5% after 10 years.

Based upon these findings, Dr. Dawood and her colleagues concluded that the incidence of a second event following a primary DCIS increases with time, and that a second event often occurs in the second breast, with a majority of them being invasive events. "In our study, the second events have a negative impact on survival," said Dr. Dawood.

[Presentation title: Development of New Cancers in Patients with DCIS: The MD Anderson Experience. Abstract T-14]