Ductal means that the cancer starts inside the milk ducts, carcinoma refers to any cancer that begins in the skin or other tissues (including breast tissue) that cover or line the internal organs, and in situ means "in its original place." DCIS is called "non-invasive" because it hasn’t spread beyond the milk duct into any normal surrounding breast tissue.

DCIS isn’t life-threatening, but having DCIS can increase the risk of developing an invasive breast cancer later on. When you have had DCIS, you are at higher risk for the cancer coming back or for developing a new breast cancer than a person who has never had breast cancer before.

Most recurrences happen within the 5 to 10 years after initial diagnosis. The chances of a recurrence are under 30%. Women who have breast-conserving surgery (lumpectomy) for DCIS without radiation therapy have about a 25% to 30% chance of having a recurrence at some point in the future.

According to the American Cancer Society, about 60,000 cases of DCIS are diagnosed in the United States each year, accounting for about 1 out of every 5 new breast cancer cases. There are two main reasons this number is so large and has been increasing over time: People are living much longer lives.

As we grow older, our risk of breast cancer increases. More people are getting mammograms, and thermography. With better screening, more cancers are being spotted early. (we prefer thermography over mammography because of the increased risk of cancer due to the radiation from mammography).

There are many natural approaches to treatment of DCIS. The focus has to be on balancing hormones. Generally the estrogen / progesterone ratios are not normal and must be balanced. But that doesn't mean taking hormone replacement. It means changing diet to alkaline, eating organic, getting low level aerobic exercise daily, meditation / prayer, detoxification procedure, acupuncture and neurologica balancing through manual adjustments.