NORTH FORK – We have been led to believe that every cancer must be cut out, your body poisoned with chemotherapy and other drugs,  and/or radiated or it will spread and take over your whole body.  That every diagnosis of cancer is a potential death sentence.  This is simply not true.

Is DCIS Early Stage Breast Cancer?

Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) is an example to look at in more detail.  DCIS is abnormal cells confined within the milk duct.  It is often called “Stage 0 breast cancer.”  We have long known that DCIS is not invasive and does not spread.  In 2024 the COMET trial and in April 2026 a Dutch study (the LORD trial) found that women who had surgery did no better than women who did not have surgery.  DCIS is currently almost always treated in the same way as other kinds of breast cancer.  Many believe that it should not be considered cancer at all.  If it will never become dangerous, are some women receiving more treatment than they need?  It certainly appears so.

Before mammography, DCIS was almost unknown.  It produces no lump, no symptom, and no sign.  It became visible only when this X-ray screening began finding microcalcifications in the 1980s.  Today it accounts for about 20% of all breast cancer diagnoses, more than 50,000 women each year in the United States.

Are Women Being Overdiagnosed and Overtreated?

In 2012, Bleyer and Welch published an article in the New England Journal of Medicine – “Effects of Three Decades of Screening Mammography on Breast-Cancer Incidence.”  They conclude that screening mammography has only marginally reduced the rate at which women present with advanced cancer, and that nearly a third of all newly diagnosed breast cancers represent harmful overdiagnosis.  They note that unfortunately, the number of women in the United States who present with metastatic breast cancer appears to not be affected by screening.  Many believe that the decreasing breast cancer mortality is largely the result of improved treatment, not screening.

Women who are overdiagnosed undergo surgery, radiation therapy, hormonal therapy for 5 years or more, chemotherapy, or a combination of these treatments for abnormalities that otherwise would not have caused illness.  Are you told this when your doctor recommends mammograms, and even worse starts you on a potentially unnecessary path of invasive and disfiguring treatment?  No.

Low-risk DCIS for carefully selected women can be safely managed by active surveillance.  If you are diagnosed with DCIS, ask lots of questions, get more than one opinion, and do your own research before you submit to invasive treatment.

What Other Cancers Are Not Likely to Spread?

Cancers that are considered in situ (“in place”) means that abnormal cells are present, but have not invaded deeper tissues.  A few diagnoses called cancer are known for being non-invasive and have an extremely low metastatic risk.

One is ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) that we have discussed above.  Another is cervical carcinoma in situ.  Abnormal cells are confined to their original layer of tisssue and do not metastasize.  The very few cases that do become invasive may not even be from the same source.

Basal cell carcinoma is the most common skin cancer.  It can invade local tissues, and sometimes cause significant damage if left untreated.  Actual metastasis is extraordinarily rare (well under 1% of cases).

Other very low-risk tumors typically classified as cancer include certain small, low-grade prostate cancers.  They may never spread during a person’s lifetime.  Also some thyroid cancers, particularly low-risk forms of papillary thyroid carcinoma.  It can remain localized for many years.  And some lesions that used to be called cancer have been reclassified because they almost never spread.

Seeking Alternative Treatments

In California physicians (DOs and MDs) are only allowed to treat a diagnosis of cancer with approved surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and hormone therapy.  They are not allowed to use “unapproved” cancer remedies that claim to diagnose, treat, or cure cancer.  You are free to decline conventional cancer treatment, but that does not mean you will find anyone who can legally provide alternative treatments.

There is much you can do to support your health.  This is important every day, and best done as prevention.  Never underestimate the body’s amazing ability to heal.  It is always worth doing what you can, no matter what your individual situation.  Remember, not all cancers spread, though they can in some cases.  You are an individual, not a statistic.  Even if you choose surgery or other invasive treatments, you are still counting on the body’s ability to heal from these.  I have covered many of the healthy lifestyle choices that you can make every day to support your health in previous articles.  You can read them here:  Focus On Vibrant Health.

Dr. Veronica Tilden can be your ally in having vibrant health.  She uses traditional hands-on osteopathy and helps you take responsibility for your health, guiding you to make better choices in your life.  She brings her 30 years of experience to her hometown at her office in North Fork.  You can find out more and schedule an appointment at DrVeronicaTilden.com.