Welcome  to  public  health  moment from  the  University  of  Minnesota. Ductal  Carcinoma  in  Situ,  or  DCIS, is  defined  as  an  abnormal  collection of  cells  in  the  milk  ducts  of  the  breast. Today,  DCIS  accounts  for  about  a fourth  of  all  positive  breast  cancer  screenings. But  DCIS  is  not  itself  considered  breast  cancer. As  a  result,  it  remains unclear  how  aggressively  to  treat  the  condition. That's  according  to  University  of  Minnesota health  policy  professor  Beth  Verne in  a  report  last  week  for  the  National  Cancer  Institute, she  and  her  colleagues  called  for  more  research. This  is  not  actually  breast  cancer. What  it  is,  is  some  signs  that some  of  the  cells  inside  the  breast  have  begun  to change  in  ways  that  might  have the  potential  to  turn  into  breast  cancer. The  challenge  is  trying  to determine  which  of  these  changes are  serious  and  need  to  be  followed  up and  to  rule  out  invasive  breast  cancers. And  which  ones  are  probably  not  particularly troubling  and  can  be treated  in  a  much  less  aggressive  way. Verne  notes  that  treatments  for  DCIS can  often  result  in  complications  and  side  effects. This  is  an  ongoing  issue  and  we  encourage any  woman  who  is  diagnosed  with  DCIS to  talk  with  their  doctors  about  the  risks  and benefits  of  treating  their  cancer and  what  strategy  is  best  for  them  and their  particular  risk  factors with  another  public  health  moment. I'm  John  Finnegan.