Inflammatory breast cancer is no joke. It’s real and rewrites the rules on what you know about breast cancer. You look for lumps now, but that will not detect IBC. You are getting annual mammograms but that too will not show if you have IBC. This, less common, type of breast cancer accounts for only 2-6% of breast cancer cases but the 5-year survival rate is less than 40% and is very agressive. Some breast cancer hotlines don’t even know it exists.
Inflammatory breast cancer symptoms may include:
- Breast swelling, which appears suddenly with one breast much larger than the other
- Itching
- Pink, red, or dark colored area, sometimes with a dimpling of the breast skin that looks like an orange peel (peau d’orange)
- Ridges and thickened areas of the skin
- Breast that feels warm to the touch
- Flattened or retracted nipple
- Breast pain
Make sure you aren’t caught off guard and familiarize yourself with the symptoms of IBC. Below are some helpful links for your reading/viewing (each link will open a new window).
MD Anderson Cancer Center IBC website
Inflammatory Breast Cancer Research Foundation
American Cancer Society IBC Information and Resources
Wikipedia Article on Inflammatory Breast Cancer
