ABSTRACT
It is now well appreciated that DCIS is a stage in the neoplastic continuum where most of the molecular changes that characterize invasive breast cancer are already present (2). All that remains on the way to invasion are quantitative changes in the expression of genes that have already been altered. Genes that may play a role in invasion control a number of functions, including angiogenesis, adhesion, cell motility, the composition of extracellular-matrix, and more. To date, genes that are uniquely associated with invasion have not been identifi ed. DCIS is clearly the precursor lesion for most invasive breast cancers but not all DCIS lesions have the time or the genetic ability to progress to become invasive breast cancer (3-5).
