One of the Most Missed and Misdiagnosed of all Breast Cancers - What Everyone NEEDS to Know

Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is known only by some doctors and men and women who have been diagnosed with this uncommon form of cancer. Many others are not even aware of its existence. As any woman who is knowledgeable about how to check for breast cancer will tell you, they check regularly for lumps. That’s what we have been told to do. That, and getting annual mammogram scans. But IBC exists, and has for quite awhile. It is the most aggressive of breast cancers, and the need for knowledge on this issue should be highly publicized because in many cases by the time the symptoms rear their ugly head, it is already at stage 3B and there are only 4 stages to cancer. So thank you LifePubs.

The word INFLAMMATORY in itself suggests just an infection. You ask yourself, if this was me, would I know that I could have breast cancer with no lump? We’re told to look for lumps so your mind doesn’t really kick in if you’re unaware of IBC.

BE AWARE! Not just in October when it’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month, but all the time. Send the link for this very important Life Publications breast cancer issue to all the people you know. The more who are aware, the more lives can be saved. Ask your doctor about it, put it in a search engine; read about it. Know what the signs are. From the articles and research papers which I have read till my eyes burn, I have found people with this rare disease offer assistance and amazing emotional support. They also have urged that the public awareness of this disease needs to be put on the front page, not at the bottom of a list.

IBC accounts for 1-5% (these numbers vary depending on their source) of all breast cancer cases in the United States. It tends to be diagnosed in younger women compared to non-IBC breast cancer. IBC lies in sheets (or nests), not the usual lump women are told to look for, thus rarely seen on routine mammograms. IBC occurs more frequently and at a younger age in African Americans than in Whites. The median age range of IBC patients is between 45 and 55 years old, but may be either younger or older. Like other types of breast cancer, IBC can occur in men. The 5-year median survival rate is approximately 40%, mainly due to delays in diagnosis, the physician’s lack of expertise in treating IBC and its resistance to treatment with standard chemotherapy drugs. IBC is treated differently, because it is different.

Because inflammatory breast cancer doesn’t normally occur as a breast lump and has a peculiar growth pattern, its symptoms are not typical signs of cancer, and may appear to be something else. IBC symptoms may include one or some of the below:

A breast that appears discolored (red, purple, pink or bruised); A tender, firm and enlarged breast (sometimes overnight); A warm feeling in the breast (or may feel hot/warm to the touch); Persistent itching of the breast (not relieved with cream or salve); Shooting or stabbing pain; Ridged or dimpled skin texture, similar to an orange peel; Thickened areas of breast tissue; Enlarged lymph nodes under the arm, above/below the collarbone; Flattening or retraction of the nipple; Swollen or crusted skin on the nipple; Change in color of the skin around the nipple (areola); A hardened area in the breast similar to a pencil lead, not a lump.

If one or more of these symptoms continue for more than a week, talk to a physician immediately, and find an expert with experience in treating this particular type of breast cancer. Many women have to demand that their physicians “rule out” IBC, and (therefore) become their own best advocate, as more education is needed in the medical community regarding this form of breast cancer.

Standard diagnostic tests for breast cancer, such as mammograms, MRI and biopsies generally cannot accurately diagnose IBC. The following tests are used to make a diagnosis:

Surgical biopsy – larger samples of the breast skin and underlying tissue can be collected in a surgical or skin biopsy, with better chances for identifying the cancer cells.

PET Scan – In the near future, this could be one of the most important diagnostic/staging tests for IBC, though it is still under study. PET scans enable oncologists to see more disease.

There are IBC specific clinics in the United States now. Statistics are only that, statistics. Everyone is different and with doctors who know the clinical symptoms and catch IBC at its earliest (Stage 3B) women are living full productive lives.

Talk to your doctor, make sure they know about this disease, and be your own best advocate, read about it and be conscious of your body.


Sunnie Jacobs is on the Board of Directors of the Inflammatory Breast Cancer Foundation. An IBC survivor, it’s her mission, along with many other advocates around the globe, to raise awareness about IBC to the public and medical communities, with the hope of saving lives. To learn more about IBC, or for information on helping to raise awareness, visit the Inflammatory Breast Cancer Foundation’s website at www.eraseibc.com or call Toll Free: 1.866.944.4223 (message only, call returned asap).