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October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and women are reminded to protect themselves with monthly self breast exams and annual mammograms for those over the age of forty. However, many women are unaware of the signs and symptoms of a less common, but very serious form of breast cancer called inflammatory breast cancer.
What is Inflammatory Breast Cancer?
Inflammatory breast cancer is a rare, but aggressive form of breast cancer that presents as an inflamed area of skin on the breast that looks similar to a bug bite. The average age of diagnosis in women is approximately ten years younger than all other forms of breast cancer, and a quick and aggressive treatment is required to beat it. Inflammatory breast cancer spreads very quickly and is usually already at an advanced stage when detected. Being able to recognize the early symptoms of the disease is essential for a successful treatment.
What are the signs and symptoms of Inflammatory Breast Cancer?
Because the breast cancer grows rapidly, many signs and symptoms begin showing up in a matter of days to weeks of developing the disease. Many women don't realize that a lump doesn't have to be present to have breast cancer and are unable to recognize the symptoms as being life threatening. Instead of presenting as a lump or tumor in the breast, inflammatory breast cancer tends to develop as a sheet.
Signs and symptoms to watch for include:Increase in breast size over a relatively short period of time (sometimes even a cup size in a few days)
Itching of the breast (unrelieved by topical agents)
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A breast that appears red, purple, pink or bruised
Breast is excessively warm to the touch
Ridged or dimpled skin texture, similar to an orange peel
Nipple flattening or retraction
Breast pain which is not cyclic in nature
Change in color of the skin around the nipple (areola)
Swollen lymph nodes under the arm, above or below the collarbone
Many of these signs and symptoms are easily mistaken as breast infections, also known as mastitis. Mastitis often occurs in younger women who are breast-feeding, and it can appear inflamed and red with pain in the area. A fever is one symptom that is common with mastitis and not associated with inflammatory breast cancer. A breast infection is easily treated with antibiotics. If an infection doesn't respond to antibiotics after one week of therapy, further investigation of the source of the symptoms should be explored with imaging studies or a breast biopsy.
When should I see my physician?
Because inflammatory breast cancer progresses quickly, many women already have advanced disease when they seek medical advice. So, it is very important that a physician is seen immediately if any signs or symptoms are present. Diagnosing inflammatory breast cancer can be difficult. A lump is not present to be detected as a problem of concern during a breast exam or mammogram, so a biopsy is needed to confirm a suspicion. The biopsy consists of a small sample of skin and tissue being removed and analyzed under a microscope. If the biopsy confirms cancer is present, aggressive treatment begins immediately.
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How is Inflammatory Breast Cancer treated?
The treatment for inflammatory breast cancer has made significant progress in recent years. A combination of therapy including chemotherapy, surgery and radiation therapy has improved the prognosis of inflammatory breast cancer drastically. Half of the women diagnosed now have a five year survival rate with one-third having a survival rate of ten years or more. Historically, surgery alone as treatment resulted in the disease being universally fatal.
Helping to spread the awareness of inflammatory breast cancer is the key to early detection and saving lives. Although the disease has a high mortality rate, always have hope that advances in treatment will continue to improve survival rates as it has in the past. Remember to perform monthly self breast exams and annual mammograms after the age of forty to screen for all other forms of breast cancer. For more information on inflammatory breast cancer you can go to www.mayoclinic.com and www.ibchelp.org or ask your pharmacist or physician.
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