
- Fall 2006
- Volume 5
- Issue 4
The Scoring System
Researchers designed the Van Nuys Prognostic Index to aid in treatment decisions for women diagnosed with ductal carcinoma in situ, DCIS.
Introduced in 1996, researchers at the University of Southern California designed the Van Nuys Prognostic Index to aid in treatment decisions for women diagnosed with ductal carcinoma in situ. The original design combined DCIS size, margin width and pathologic classification, but in 2003, the patient’s age at diagnosis was added after it proved to be an independent prognostic factor.
Patients who are least likely to recur after recommended treatment have a score of 4, while patients most likely to recur receive a score of 12. Research has not yet been done to directly compare outcomes after mastectomy with those after lumpectomy for DCIS, but various studies show a clear reduction in local recurrence rates when comparing mastectomy with breast-conserving surgery. The lack of a significant survival difference when comparing those studies has led to fewer mastectomies.
View Chart: Treatment Guidelines by Score
Articles in this issue
about 19 years ago
The Choice to Workabout 19 years ago
Message from the Editorabout 19 years ago
A Worry-Free Way to Support Nonprofits?about 19 years ago
Letters from Our Readersabout 19 years ago
Lessons Learnedabout 19 years ago
A Cunning Predatorabout 19 years ago
A Waste of Tasteabout 19 years ago
Taming the Dragonabout 19 years ago
The Shadow Survivorsabout 19 years ago
In Situ Breast Cancer: Is It Really Cancer?