Reality of ductal carcinoma in situ

doi:10.1136/bmj.b958

Published 9 March 2009, doi:10.1136/bmj.b958
Cite this as: BMJ 2009;338:b958

Letters

Breast screening

Reality of ductal carcinoma in situ

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Just over four years ago I accepted my first invitation to attendfor mammography breast screening and was diagnosed with ductalcarcinoma in situ.

Briefly, the reality of this diagnosis has been two wide excisions,one partial mutilation (sorry, mastectomy), one reconstruction,five weeks’ radiotherapy (a 60 mile round trip and I hadto pay to park), chronic infection at the donor site, four boutsof cellulitis at the donor site, one nipple reconstruction,seven general anaesthetics, and more than a year off work. Iam still unable to work more than part time.

Contrast this with a friend who had "proper" cancer treatedby lumpectomy and three weeks’ radiotherapy and who returnedto full time work within six months of diagnosis. I also doubtthat she had to deal with the "we think you should have a mastectomy"attitude.

I expect that I have been classified as a screening . . . [Full text of this article]

Jane Flanders, former patient¹

¹ Basingstoke RG25 3HE

janecflanders@yahoo.co.uk

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