Like all the other ladies said, chemo is not the usual course of treatment for DCIS.

DCIS, by definition, means that it is not invasive. Typically the reason they give you chemo is to kill any extra little bits of cancer that might be floating around in your body somewhere. Basically doctors don't know how cancer spreads, but the assumption is that the abnormal cells develop the ability to become invasive and somehow travel through the lymph system or the blood stream to get caught elsewhere. So chemo is to help destroy anything that might've invaded elsewhere but that our current tests cannot detect.

If you have DCIS, the cancer hasn't yet developed the ability to travel.

From my experience of talking with other survivors, the only reason they would recommend chemo would be 1. if your margins weren't clear and they are afraid there may still be some abnormal/cancerous cells remaining or 2. if you had a sentinel node biopsy come back with a focal point of cancer, in which case you would no longer be DCIS, but IDC, meaning that the cancer did become invasive.

Just keep asking questions. Be your own best advocate, get a 2nd opinion and make sure that YOU are comfortable with your treatment plan. You can always choose not to do chemo. Good luck and let us know if you have any questions.

You might consider a 2nd opinion about the chemo and radiation. I had IDC, Stage 1, Grade 1 and I did not have chemo or radiation. I also had BMX and negative for lymph nodes. Everyone's situation is different but I have not known anyone who had DCIS with BMX that went on to have chemo or radiation. In fact, I know a woman who had DCIS with BMX who did not even need Tamoxifen much less chemo or radiation. You are near Knoxville - consider a 2nd opinion with a place like the Thompson Cancer Survival Center (where your case is reviewed by experts) or any of the well-rated oncologists in Knoxville.

Did your lymph nodes test positive for cancer? Did you have clear margins on your BMX? Normally, if you have clear margins and no lymph node involvement then a BMX is enough for DCIS. Do you have a family history that goes beyond DCIS? Not enough info to answer this question. I would definitely get a second opinion. Chemo and rads may be overkill.

Get a second opinion and even a third opinion! Have you had the oncotype test done. This information is what my oncologist used to help us decide the chemo debate. I had a low score, so I did not have chemo. If it had been a medium score, we would have had to make a more weighted decision. A high score indicates the risks of chemo outweigh the risks of not doing it. Everyone on my medical team said if I had a bilateral then there was no reason for radiation. Of course, I know your situation could be very different from mine, so get as much info as you need.

scans can only recognize cancer larger than a small size a clean scan deos not mean you do ot have cancer. I had 16 weeks of chemo followed by a scan that showed that I was clean but during the surgery found lymph nodes in the opposite arme to be cancerous. After a double mastectomy I am in the middle of 13 weeks of radiation. Ask your oncologist to explain more until you understand completly.