Inflammatory Breast Cancer

The other day one of my friends posted a local newscast about inflammatory breast cancer. I had never heard of inflammatory breast cancer before, so I decided to do a little research on what I had learned in the newscast. What I learned is that this type of cancer is not well known and the word needs to be spread to women everywhere.

Inflammatory breast cancer is a rare kind of cancer that is usually not detected by mammograms or ultrasound, nor does there have to be a lump. We were always taught to look for the lump right? This particular type of breast cancer has a low survival rate and is hard to detect.

Because it is so hard to detect and a lot of people do not know about inflammatory breast cancer, people must spread the word about inflammatory breast cancer and help save lives, the earlier it is detected, the better chance of survival.

According to the Cancer Treatment Centers of America website, inflammatory breast cancer does not usually grow as a solid tumor. Instead, it the breast cancer cells block the lymph vessels in the skin of the breast.

Here are some of the symptoms listed on the Inflammatory Breast Cancer Research Foundation website.

1. Swelling, usually sudden, sometimes up to a cup size in as little as one day.

2. Itching.

3. Pink, red, or dark colored area that sometimes has the texture of an orange.

4. Nipple retraction, (inverted nipple.)

5. Nipple discharge which may or may not be bloody.

6. Breasts are warm to the touch.

7. Breast pain, can be anywhere from a constant ache to stabbing pains.

8. Areola changes color and texture.

If you have any of these symptoms or know someone who does, see a doctor immediately.

One woman, in the newscast, said that her breasts appeared to have bug bites on them and they were very itchy. Another woman, a survivor of inflammatory breast cancer, stated that she thought she had a spider bite. According to the Inflammatory Breast Cancer Research Foundation, doctors may diagnose it as a breast infection because they have the same symptoms.

This is very scary; women everywhere need to spread awareness about inflammatory breast cancer. Even though this type of cancer only accounts for about 2% of cancer cases, you never know if you or a loved one could be part of that 2%.

Inflammatory breast cancer is being called a silent killer, by the time it is diagnosed the cancer is in late stages and chances of survival have decreased rapidly.

Become informed, check out the sources, and help spread the word about inflammatory breast cancer to every woman that you know.

Sources cited:

http://www.cancercenter.com/inflammatory-breast-cancer.htm?source=GOOGLPPC&c=National_Core:Cancers_Inflammatory_Breast_Cancer:cancer_inflammatory_breast:broad&ef_id=1812:3:s_a218e34c264f156a5d47570f50d5fab9_2461798791:AHr7sdBkAk8AAAQ7YcoAAAAH:20090330154738

http://www.ibcresearch.org/symptoms/

http://www.komonews.com/news/archive/4132526.html