The Comprehensive Cancer Center
at Rhode Island, The Miriam and Newport Hospitals
Inflammatory Breast Cancer (IBC)
Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is a rare and little known—but the most aggressive—form of breast cancer that is usually not detected by mammograms or ultrasounds. In inflammatory breast cancer, cancer cells block the lymph vessels in the breast.
Symptoms
Unlike other kinds of breast cancer, inflammatory breast cancer does not typically cause a lump or lumps in the breast; therefore, it cannot be detected by breast self-exams or most diagnostic imaging methods. Symptoms of inflammatory breast cancer can include swelling, warmth, itching or thickening of the breast tissue, breast skin that becomes discolored (like a bruise or bug bite), or rippled (like the skin of an orange).
Normal breasts may have inverted nipples or may vary from each other somewhat in size or shape, but if such changes in breast appearance develop suddenly (over the course of weeks or months), it may be a sign of inflammatory breast cancer.
Inflammatory breast cancer can be deadly because it can be difficult to detect, grows quickly, and spreads to other parts of the body. Also, while public awareness of breast cancer has grown in recent years, many women are unfamiliar with inflammatory breast cancer and may not seek treatment because they don’t recognize its symptoms.
Diagnosis and Treatment
Inflammatory breast cancer is diagnosed by a physician's clinical examination and usually confirmed by a biopsy, mammogram and ultrasound. Treatment is different than for other breast cancers; aggressive chemotherapy treatment is usually required, followed by surgery and/or other procedures.
Learn more about inflammatory breast cancer:
Back | The Comprehensive Cancer Center
|
