Inflammatory Breast Cancer, Rare But Dangerous

Inflammatory breast cancer is a rare and very aggressive type of breast cancer that can be difficult to treat. The name, inflammatory breast cancer, may cause some confusion. It is called "inflammatory" because with this type of cancer, the breast appears inflamed or swollen, red and tender. However, an infection of the breast will cause these same symptoms. Inflammation occurs when there is injury to a cell. The body responds by sending additional red and white blood cells and chemical substances to the area to help it heal. This is not, however, what happens with inflammatory breast cancer. In inflammatory breast cancer, the cancer cells grow and spread rapidly, penetrating and eventually blocking the lymph vessels just below the skin of the breast. When these vessels are blocked, lymph fluid backs up and redness and swelling occur. If there is a true infection of the breast, antibiotics will help the swelling and inflammation. If cancer cells are causing the inflammation, antibiotics won't help.

Inflammatory breast cancer can be difficult to diagnose. It is less likely that a lump will be felt because of the way in which it grows and spreads. In addition, this type of cancer is not usually detected by mammograms and ultrasounds. Symptoms can include any of the following, but not necessarily all of them.

· Sudden breast swelling
· Breast may feel warm to the touch
· Itching
· Pain
· Inverted nipple or discharge
· Pinkish or bruised and thickened areas of the skin, sometimes looking like the skin of an orange

Symptoms often come about quickly, even within a matter of days or weeks. Unfortunately, by the time symptoms arise and the cancer is diagnosed, it has already reached stage IIIB (spread to lymph nodes) or stage IV (spread to other areas). Inflammatory breast cancer is typically diagnosed with a biopsy of the breast skin and tissue. As these can be symptoms of other medical conditions, a biopsy is usually performed after antibiotic treatment has failed. Once a diagnosis is confirmed, additional tests will help determine how far the cancer has spread.

Treatment for inflammatory breast cancer starts with chemotherapy, followed by surgery and radiation therapy. Chemotherapy is given first to reduce swelling and inflammation, as well as the size of the cancerous area. This makes surgery easier and helps improve the outcome of the operation. The recommended surgery for this type of cancer is a mastectomy. Chemotherapy may also be given after surgery to kill any remaining cancer cells.

The course of treatment after surgery is radiation therapy. This helps lessen the chance of recurrence. If the cancer is considered inoperable, radiation may be used as the main treatment to help slow the progression of the disease.

Even with chemotherapy, surgery and radiation, this type of cancer has a very high rate of recurrence. With this in mind, doctors may recommend further treatments with chemotherapy or other drugs. Clinical trials for new procedures or drugs may also be available.
While inflammatory breast cancer affects a very small percentage of women, it's important to be aware of its symptoms. If changes in the skin of the breast occur, see a doctor right away and ask about this type of breast cancer. Research and new treatment options continue to improve the prognosis for inflammatory breast cancer offering hope for a future.

I have been interested in cancer since my brother Jerry was diagnosed with colon cancer five years ago. After two surgeries he is doing well and is still cancer free. The first surgery was to remove a large tumor from his colon and the second was to remove his colon. Needless to say he has been through a lot and the road to recovery was a long one. About two years ago my brother Fred was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Man, you talk about devastating! Well after about a month or two the shock started to ware off and treatments started to begin. My brother Fred was in denial for, what seemed to be a long time. I wanted to write about both of my brothers cancers but, decided against it thinking it would hurt them some how so I decided to write about cancers that no one in the family has as of yet. If you'd like to send a massage of support to my brothers Jerry and Fred, leave a comment here and I'll see that they get it