DCIS terms affect patient treatment preferences

When ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) is described as a high-risk condition rather than cancer, more women report they would opt for nonsurgical treatments, according to a research letter published in JAMA Internal Medicine.

Elissa Ozanne, PhD, of the University of California, San Francisco, and colleagues found that the terminology used to describe DCIS had a significant and important impact on patients' perceptions of treatment alternatives. Healthcare providers who use the word "cancer" to describe DCIS must be particularly careful that patients understand the distinctions between DCIS and invasive cancer, they added (JAMA Intern Med, August 26, 2013).

The study included a total of 394 healthy women without a history of breast cancer who were presented with three descriptions of DCIS: as a noninvasive breast cancer, as a breast lesion, or as abnormal cells. After each description, the women chose among three treatment options: surgery, medication, or active follow-up.

When DCIS was described using the term "noninvasive cancer," 53% of the study participants chose nonsurgical options. Sixty-six percent preferred nonsurgical options when the term was "breast lesion," and 69% preferred nonsurgical options when the term was "abnormal cells."

In addition, the team found that more women changed their preference from a surgical to a nonsurgical option than from a nonsurgical to a surgical option depending on terminology.