Even in the precancerous stage, called ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) when abnormal cells are confined to a milk duct, physicians almost always advise women to have a lumpectomy ormastectomy along with radiation, because about 20% of the 65, 000 cases of DCIS found every year in the U.S. become invasive cancer.
In New York, for one, before a surgeon can perform a mastectomyor lumpectomy on a breast cancer patient, that patient must meet with a plastic surgeon to learn her options.