Inflammatory Breast Cancer Symptoms
Inflammatory breast cancer takes lives of most of the people who develop it. It is a very “hostile” type of cancer, which thankfully, is also rare. It gets its name from the inflammation the breasts of the victim develop. Contrary to other forms of cancer, inflammatory breast cancer can develop in relatively younger females, too. Rarely do men develop IBC.
IBC gives rise to cancer cells that attack the lymph vessels in the breast. It blocks the vessels, which gives rise to extreme swelling and reddish appearance of the breasts. Research says occurrence of IBC can differ with ethnicity, African American women being more prone, and that too, at a younger age, than White women. Also, it can occur in very young women of any other age, too. This is sad because other forms of breast cancer mostly develop in middle-aged women, while disabling young women to enjoy their lives.
Inflammatory breast cancer advances very rapidly. That is to say, symptoms appear rapidly and become evident within weeks. This is the reason women with IBC are diagnosed at an early stage than women with other kinds of cancer.
Mammography and ultrasounds are not the best diagnosis techniques for Inflammatory breast cancer, since it is not usually accompanied with the formation of a lump. This characteristic makes the cancer undetectable. However, if other symptoms prevail, a biopsy can certainly determine if cancer growth is present.
If you have developed IBC, your breast will appear extremely red or purple, often bruised and tender. The breast also gets enormously swelled, giving rise to its inflamed look. The breast size will increase rapidly, and there might be perpetual itching, too. You might get inverted nipples, a heavy aching and burning feel around the breast. The skin around the breast may also appear bumpy, like the skin of an orange, which gives name to the condition’s medical term, peau d’orange. This condition occurs due to fluid accumulation. Other symptoms are changes of color or texture in the skin around the nipple (areola), swelling of the nipple, swelling under the arm and on top and below the collarbone.
IBC is often misdiagnosed as mastitis, a breast cancer infection accompanied with redness and swelling of the breast. The most important thing to remember here is that symptoms persist even after two weeks of treatment for IBC, which is not the case with mastitis. It is also good to know that previous chest operations may partially block your breast lymph vessels, and this is not a breast cancer condition.
The treatment for Inflammatory breast cancer has greatly improved over the last few years. When the mortality rate used to be 100% few years back, today, around 60% women diagnosed with IBC live through their natural life-span. For treating IBC, a combination of therapies is required. Doctors usually start with chemotherapy and hormonal treatment, and follow it up with neoadjuvant therapy and mastectomy, after which, radiation therapy is highly recommended to prevent a recurrence of cancer.
Through all the misery of Inflammatory breast cancer, you should remember the figures of mortality rate decreasing immensely. These indicate that you have a great chance of fighting if off and being happy like all other people that you know.
