Should DCIS be called cancer? It’s the million-dollar question. The answer, in short, depends on who you ask, and how they define “cancer.” The official diagnosis name is Ductal Carcinoma in Situ, and DCIS is generally referred to as “stage 0 breast cancer.” But a growing number of physicians refer to DCIS as a “pre-cancer” or a “risk factor” for cancer, and there has been discussion over the last few decades about removing the words “carcinoma” and “cancer” from the nomenclature altogether. What’s in a Name? The language physicians use when communicating with patients matters, and the words “carcinoma” and…
