Inflammatory Breast Cancer (IBC) is another type of breast cancer. It is distinguished from regular breast cancer from its look, which has an “inflamed” or swollen and red appearance instead of the normal lump. This means you will not be able to feel a lump to have IBC. IBC is a rare but very aggressive type of breast cancer, which is caused by cancer cells that block the lymph vessels in the skin of the breast creating its unique form.
Some signs to look for are: bruising around the breasts, pain, difference in texture and thickness of the breast, nipple discharge, burning sensation, and aching. If any of these symptoms occur, you must go seek a physician right away.
To properly diagnose inflammatory breast cancer, one must go get an examination from a physician. Once the doctor determines there are signs for breast cancer, a mammogram, breast ultrasound, a biopsy, and/or a positron emission tomography (PET) scan will be performed to confirm the diagnosis. Once it is confirmed for inflammatory breast cancer, the treatments are chemotherapy, radiation therapy, hormonal therapy, and/or surgery.
Chemotherapy is usually the first step of treatment and affects the cells throughout the entire body. The goal of chemotherapy is to destroy the cancer cells that may have spread throughout the body. Because chemotherapy treatment can not determine the bad from the good cells, chemotherapy will destroy all cells. One of the effects of chemotherapy is hair loss throughout the body.
The next step after chemotherapy could be surgery and/or radiation. Radiation might be recommended depending on the aggressiveness of the cancer. Surgery can be the removal of the breast and surrounding tissues. Radiation is a targeted therapy that focuses on the cancer area.
Inflammatory Breast cancer is considered more aggressive than other types of breast cancer because it can spread throughout the body faster and it is harder to detect through screening tools. The National Cancer Institute states the survival rates for IBC patients is from 25 to 50 percent. Although these numbers are low, the institute’s the statistics is based on a large number of patients. They urge people to seek their physician in regards to their condition.
The first step in early detection is performing monthly breast self exams. By performing the self exams, a woman will be familiar with her body in case any changes occur. If a woman sees any signs of concerns, she should immediately contact her physician.
SaveRBoobies offers free resources and information to women before and after breast cancer treatments. View video interviews with surgeons, oncologists, radiologists, nutritionists, yoga instructors, survivors, and more. SaveRBoobies strives to support breast cancer charities that provide direct services to women by donating portions of its breast cancer apparel sales.
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