Signs and symptoms of inflammatory breast cancer Redness involving more than one-third of the breast. Pitting or thickening of the skin of the breast so that it may look and feel like an orange peel. A retracted or inverted nipple. One breast looking larger than the other because of swelling.
Unlike most breast cancers, IBC doesn't usually cause lumps in breast tissue. Instead, it appears as a rash, creating skin texture on the affected breast similar to an orange peel. IBC causes pain, redness, swelling and dimpling on the affected breast.
Doctors know that inflammatory breast cancer begins when a breast cell develops changes in its DNA. Most often the cell is located in one of the tubes (ducts) that carry breast milk to the nipple. But the cancer can also begin with a cell in the glandular tissue (lobules) where breast milk is produced.
Inflammatory breast cancer first signs and symptoms
Your breast also may look red or infected or seem to have a rash. Most of the symptoms of inflammatory breast cancer develop quickly — within three to six months. About 1% to 5% of all breast cancers are inflammatory breast cancers.
Inflammatory Breast Cancer Often Mistaken for Skin Infection
Inflammatory breast cancer accounts for 1 to 5% of all breast cancers, according to the National Cancer Institute, and is often mistaken for a breast infection like mastitis or a skin infection like cellulitis.
Inflammatory breast cancer symptoms can appear quite suddenly. Symptoms include: swelling and redness of the breast. pain.
Your doctor may be able to feel these areas of thickening on your skin, as well as possibly see areas of higher density on a mammogram. Routine blood tests may not pick up abnormalities related to inflammatory breast cancer.
In the U.S., IBC makes up only between 1–5% of all breast cancer cases. On average, it affects women at younger ages than other forms of breast cancer—often occurring in women under 40, but it has a median age at diagnosis of 57.
Advances in care are helping more patients live longer, though. Recent studies have shown that with the right treatment IBC's five-year survival rate is closer to 70% for stage III patients, and up to 50% for newly diagnosed stage IV patients.
Yes, ultrasound can detect inflammatory breast cancer by identifying irregular masses, thickening of the skin, and fluid collection. Moreover, it can help assess lymph node involvement. It is a critical factor in determining the stage of the disease and the appropriate course of treatment.
Patients with suspected inflammatory breast cancer should undergo breast imaging and biopsy. A mammogram is the first imaging test in the evaluation of inflammatory breast cancer. A diagnostic mammogram should be used on the affected side and a screening mammogram on the contralateral side.
If a physician suspects IBC, it can be detected with a few different imaging tools, such as ultrasounds or MRI mammograms. The problem with these tests is that they are not completely reliable in detecting IBC; a mammogram alone, for example, only has about a 68% detection rate of IBC.
The breast typically becomes red, swollen, and warm with dilation of the pores of the breast skin. The skin may appear pitted like an orange peel, and nipple changes such as inversion, flattening, or dimpling may occur. Mastitis, an infection of the breasts, can carry similar symptoms.
Redness or another change in the skin color of the breast, swelling on one side and/or a rash that appears quickly — sometimes literally overnight — are the hallmark symptoms of inflammatory breast cancer.
The 5-year relative survival rate for inflammatory breast cancer in the U.S. is 40%.
The median survival for both IBC and non-IBC was the same at 40 months. The PFS at 10 years was 27% (95% CI: 23-31%) for IBC and 24% (95% CI: 22-26%) for non-IBC (p=0.21), and the OS at 10 years was 31% (95% CI: 27-35%) for IBC and 28% (95% CI: 26-30%) for non-IBC (p=0.16).
Genetics – A specific genetic risk for inflammatory breast cancer has not been found, but genetic factors that increase an individual's risk for developing other types of cancer, such as the presence of BRCA1 (breast cancer gene one) or BRCA2 (breast cancer gene two), may also increase the risk of inflammatory breast ...
Swelling of lymph nodes: The lymph nodes under your arm or above the collarbone may be swollen. Flattening or inversion of the nipple: The nipple may go flat or turn inward. Aching or burning: Your breast may ache or feel tender.
Distant metastases and degree of adenopathy was not related to skin thickness, degree of tumor infiltration, or presence of a defined mass. Inflammatory breast cancer presents with a spectrum of computed tomography appearances.
MRI assessed patients after a second cycle and confirmed all cases of IBC correctly. The study reported an initial MRI as a superior and reliable method for diagnosing IBC [24]. Another study comparing mammography, ultrasonography, and MRI was carried out by Alunni in 2021.
Experts are still not sure why left-sided breast cancer appears to be more common. Over the years, researchers have made various hypotheses to try to explain it, such as: the larger size of the left breast. early detection of tumors in those who are righthanded.
In IBC, a mastectomy is usually recommended, even if the cancer responded well to neoadjuvant chemotherapy. After mastectomy, radiation therapy to the chest wall and lymph nodes is strongly recommended. Immediate reconstruction is NOT recommended in IBC.
Breast cancer causes changes in your body that can lead to fatigue. Many breast cancers release proteins called cytokines, which have been linked to fatigue. Breast cancer also may change your body's hormone levels and cause inflammation, both of which may contribute to fatigue.