Inflammatory Breast Cancer (IBC) is one of the least common forms of breast cancer. The National Cancer Institution reports that between 1 and 5 percent of all breast cancers found in the United States are of the inflammatory Breast Cancer form. Inflammatory breast cancer is an aggressive form of cancer. Inflammatory breast cancer is different from other forms of cancer because it does not start with a tumor or lump. Inflammatory breast cancer begins with the swelling and reddish look to the breast. Inflammatory breast cancer symptoms will spread quickly, in a matter of days or hours.

Though inflammatory breast cancer is a serious disease; please note that with modern medicine and new and advanced treatments, we have come along way in controlling this type of breast cancer. Therefore it is important to detect the symptoms and see your doctor immediately. Just checking for lumps when you do your own personal breast examination is not going to help you to know if you have inflammatory breast cancer.

Some things to know about Inflammatory Breast Cancer

Prevalence of Inflammatory Breast Cancer

The average age for inflammatory breast disease is different for different ethnicities, for example the average age is 57 for white women; while African American Women will be approximately 52 years old when they contract the disease. Even though African American women will contract the disease five years earlier than white women; the average age for contracting inflammatory breast cancer is still five years earlier than other forms of breast cancer.

The American Cancer Society reports that inflammatory breast cancer is actually most prominent in African American women. They also found through a 1980 cancer study that overweight women are at a higher risk for inflammatory breast cancer. Inflammatory breast disease can also affect men.

The symptoms of inflammatory breast disease

Inflammatory breast cancer does not start with a lump or tumor; instead it begins with a feeling of thickness or heavy feeling in the breast. There is a reddish inflamed area on the breast. Inflammatory breast disease develops “nests” which doctors call the different layers of skin and tissue that are affected by the disease. Sometimes this redness will come and go.

Parts of the breast or all of the breasts can be become inflamed and hard. The breast could also be warm to the touch.

The skin around on the breast can take on an orange appearance like the skin of an orange, called “peau d’orange.” Other skin changes could be a pink or bruised look, ridges, welts or hives on the breast.

The reason the breast becomes inflamed is because the cancer cells are actually clogging the vessels, which carry lymph to the rest of the body. Lymph is a clear white liquid responsible for clearing bacteria and proteins from tissues. Lymph also transports white blood cells through the body. The lymph nodes under the arm and over the collarbone can also swell.

The breast area can ache and burn and the nipple may become inverted.

These symptoms can resemble mastitis, a condition of where nursing mothers can develop an infection, only with mastitis, the women will have a fever. There is no fever with inflammatory breast cancer. Mastitis can be treated with antibiotics.

Wrong diagnosis

You may be told you have cellulites, which is a bacterial breast disease, if the symptoms do not go away ask for an inflammatory breast cancer test.

Exam your breast regularly for changes, you can never be too cautious. Make sure you also go for your scheduled mammograms as well. You want to make sure you are safe from all kinds breast cancers.

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