Getty Images For patients with DCIS, the cells that make up the lining of their milk ducts turn cancerous but remain in place, or in situ, meaning they ... recurrence in the original breast ...

The words in situ mean in its original place. These in situ cells are not malignant, or cancerous. However, they can sometimes become cancerous and spread to nearby locations beyond the layer of ...

It’s noninvasive, meaning it hasn’t grown into the breast tissue outside of the ducts. The phrase "in situ" means "in its original place." DCIS is the earliest stage at which breast cancer can ...

But one diagnostic word in particular threatens to derail any rational discussion of its meaning ... “in situ,” however, means limited to one place. The name is “a relic from prior ...