Elle Macpherson's breast cancer: when the media reports on celebrity cancer, are we really getting the whole story?

This missing information from the media is also a missed opportunity to discuss less invasive options for the management of DCIS.

The rate of DCIS has increased greatly since the introduction of breast cancer screening. You can detect it on a mammogram but it rarely causes symptoms. Many of these lesions are unlikely to ever cause a problem in a woman's lifetime. As a result of this some cases of DCIS are considered to be over-diagnosed.

Now options such as active surveillance (closely monitoring but not providing treatment unless the condition progresses) are considered reasonable and are being robustly evaluated in research trials to help reduce overtreatment.

We need to be wary of simplistic narratives about celebrity cancer journeys that don't necessarily tell the whole story. This should also include scepticism over "wellness" narratives as these can lead to non-evidence-based treatment choices that waste consumers' money and may cause them harm.

We all need to get better at being appropriately sceptical about health information without losing trust in proven health interventions.

I'm worried about my breast cancer. What should I do?

A breast cancer diagnosis can create a flood of different emotions, and presents a woman with many uncertainties including the effectiveness of treatments, and about their potential side effects and long-term impacts.

Women can ask their health professionals questions about possible management options, including:

• what are my options? One of these options might be to choose less treatment, including an active surveillance approach for low-risk DCIS

• what are the possible benefits and harms of those options?

• how likely are each of those benefits and harms to happen to me?