Definition:
Inflammatory breast cancer is a rare but aggressive type of breast cancer that progresses rapidly, making the affected breast red, swollen and tender. It's a locally advanced cancer, which means it has spread from its point of origin to nearby tissue and possibly to nearby lymph nodes.
Diagnosis:
A diagnosis of inflammatory breast cancer is based on the patient's medical history, her physical examination and an excisional biopsy — taking a small sample of skin and some of the underlying tissue to examine under a microscope.
Treatment:
Treatment for inflammatory breast cancer begins with chemotherapy, followed by surgery and radiation therapy. This combined-treatment approach has greatly improved the outlook for women with inflammatory breast cancer. About half the women diagnosed with the condition survive five or more years, and nearly one-third are alive 20 years after the initial diagnosis.
Symptoms and Signs:
Signs and symptoms include: rapid change in the appearance of one breast, over the course of days or weeks; thickness, heaviness or visible enlargement of one breast; discoloration, giving the breast a red, purple, pink or bruised appearance; unusual warmth of the affected breast; dimpling or ridges on the skin of the affected breast, similar to an orange peel; itching; tenderness, pain or aching; enlarged lymph nodes under the arm, above the collarbone or below the collarbone; flattening or turning inward of the nipple; swollen or crusted skin on the nipple; and change in color of the skin around the nipple (areola).
Causes:
In inflammatory breast cancer, the abnormal cells quickly infiltrate and clog the lymphatic vessels in the skin over your breast. The blockage in the lymphatic vessels results to red, swollen and dimpled skin — a classic sign of inflammatory breast cancer.
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