Breast Cancer Stage Zero Can't be Felt Through Self Exam

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. -- When doctors told Deena Damsky Dell who works as a nurse and patient educator that she had breast cancer, she managed to stay pretty calm.

"I did, but I convinced myself that I had pre-cancer," she said.

But it wasn't pre-cancer. It was the real deal -- breast cancer stage zero -- a description many have never heard of.

"To me it would make more sense if you called it very early breast cancer or something. Because zero almost means it doesn't exist," Dell said.

Ductal carcinoma in situ, or DCIS, is stage zero breast cancer has not invaded surrounding tissue or organs.

The cancer can't be felt by self exam.

Surgeon Elin Sigurdon says that's one more reason that yearly mammograms so important.

"Somewhere between 95 and 100 percent of these people are cured with this diagnosis. For those of us who treat cancer, we rarely get the luxury of finding a curable cancer. And this is a curable cancer, and it's only curable by doing mammograms every year," Dr. Sigurdon said.

"If I had waited, I might have died," Dell said.

Women with a strong family history of breast cancer may choose mastectomy -- but more commonly, treatment is lumpectomy, sometimes followed by radiation.

"So you actually have the luxury of having a cancer you can treat without needing chemotherapy," Dr. Sigurdon said.

"I did not have a fear of dying. I knew that with proper treatment, my chance of living was 99 to 100-percent," Dell said.