Archives: Month: March 2025

Why is DCIS Often Overtreated and What Can We Do About It?

There is growing concern about the overtreatment of DCIS.  Overtreatment is the treating of a disease or condition even though it may not have led to symptoms in a patient’s lifetime or earlier mortality.   DCIS is sometimes referred to as a “non-obligate precursor” of breast cancer.  Non-obligate precursor means that it can, but often does not, lead to invasive breast cancer.  Some studies estimate that as much as 50-80% of DCIS, if left untreated, would remain harmless in a patient’s lifetime.  Yet even though most cases of DCIS might be able to avoid treatment, because doctors cannot reliably predict which cases those are, virtually all…

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