Inflammatory breast cancer, or IBC, is a rare and aggressive form of breast cancer. It is estimated to occur in only 1 - 3% of all breast cancer patients. It most commonly occurs in cases of post-menopausal women, but there have been cases found in men and girls as young as 12.
IBC (Inflammatory Breast Cancer) is a relatively fast growing cancer and your symptoms can appear in a just a few days or weeks. Unlike most forms of breast cancer, inflammatory breast cancer does not usually form a lump in the breast but forms "sheets" of cancer cells and because of this can often be misdiagnosed in the early stages. In the past this led to a higher mortality rate than other types of breast cancer but advances in cancer research have improved the survival rate.
Symptoms of Inflammatory Breast Cancer
IBC's symptoms mimic those of a breast infection or mastitis although mastitis will usually cause a fever and will respond to antibiotics. Inflammatory breast cancer doesn't cause a fever nor does it respond to antibiotics.
Symptoms you should look out for are:
- The breast feeling thicker or heavier than usual
- Swelling and tenderness of the breast
- Discolouration of the breast(usually red to purple)
- Itching or pain in the breast
- Dimpled or rough skin on the breast
- Swelling of the nipple
- Flattening or retraction of the nipple
If you're concerned that you may have IBC and your doctor is suggesting multiple rounds of antibiotics to clear up suspected mastitis it is definitely worth discussing the issue of inflammatory breast cancer and asking for a referral to a breast specialist. The earlier IBC is diagnosed, the sooner you can begin treatment and the better your chances of survival.
IBC Diagnosis
With the elimination of mastitis as the cause of your symptoms and the symptoms still present and possibly getting worse, your doctor may schedule you for a mammogram or a breast sonogram, although these are not always reliable on their own for proper diagnosis. Often the affected area may not show up. The most effective way to properly diagnose IBC is a biopsy. Because this cancer does grow very rapidly, your doctor may also schedule other tests to determine if your cancer has spread to other organs in your body. This will affect your course of treatment.
Methods of treatment
The treatment for IBC depends on whether the cancer has spread to other organs of the body although it typically differs from ductal and lobular breast cancer treatments in that chemotherapy usually precedes surgery. Chemotherapy is usually aggressive in order to counteract the development of the cancer and give the patient a better possibility of clear margins from surgery which obviously increases the chance of survival. Surgery may then be followed by radiation therapy.
Radiation therapy is used to "mop up" any cancer cells that may have evaded the surgeon's knife and to help prevent the cancer returning. Because inflammatory breast cancer has a high recurrence rate your doctor may prescribe additional rounds of chemotherapy or hormone therapy if your cancer is hormone receptive.
Please be aware that this article is for educational purposes only and should not be used in place of professional medical care. It should not be used for diagnosing or treating a problem.