How I Knew I Had Inflammatory Breast Cancer

Did You Experience Any Side Effects

I took the chemotherapy treatments well. I was in treatment over the Thanksgivingholiday, and I remember that I temporarily lost my sense of taste. At one point,the drugs made my throat very raw and I had trouble eating, but I pulled throughthat.

I lost my hair from the chemo treatments. On the night before I went in forsurgery, my daughter and grandkids were kidding around, and they put some ofthe children’s temporary tattoos on my bald head. I can still rememberthe doctors and nurses laughing at my head covered in Christmas tattoos as Iwent into surgery.

Management And Treatment Options For Inflammatory Cancer Of The Breast

;For some women with IBC, ;the initial investigations to find a diagnosis may not confirm a benign or a malignant condition.

So, a patient may be given conservative treatments such as anti-inflammatory drugs and antibiotics. ;Monitoring of the response to antibiotic therapy is very important if symptoms do not improve further investigations will be necessary.

Sometimes, a large excisional breast biopsy is needed to really figure out what is going on.

Inflammatory breast cancer cells tend to grow widely through the tissues of the breast, rather than as a single tumour. For this reason, chemotherapy drugs or radiation therapy are often given before surgery.

Inflammatory Breast Cancer: The Diagnosis

;So, frequently in the diagnosis of IBC a PET scan is utilized.

Furthermore, ;larger sample excisional biopsies are often necessary. A skin biopsy can ;find evidence of invasive breast cancer cells, but this is;not always;the case.

Inflammatory breast cancer has a tendency to grow in layers, so it may be quite a while before a palpable lump actually appears. Furthermore, if a lump develops it might appear quite suddenly.

Around 30% of inflammatory breast cancers never develop an actual breast lump.

Recent studies have pointed to the potential advantages of new diagnostic techniques, such as fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography .

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Things You Need To Know About Inflammatory Breast Cancer

Contrary to popular belief, breast cancer isnt one-size-fits all. There are many different types of breast cancer out there.

Inflammatory Breast Cancer is often overlooked because its rare and it doesnt produce the typical lump that we search for during a breast exam with your doc or when you are examining your own breasts.;But its important to add Inflammatory Breast Cancer back into the conversation. Heres what you need to know about it.

Future Research On Inflammatory Breast Cancer

;Recent research on inflammatory breast cancer has focused on the work on genetic determinants that underlie the inflammatory breast cancer phenotype.

Indeed, scientists have already identified some of the genes that are present in the development and progression of this disease. ;However, there has been no real genetic breakthrough in the treatment of the disease.

For the most part, inflammatory breast cancer has a distinct molecular profile, though it does share some genetic changes with other breast cancers.

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Data Paints A More Complete Picture

The U-M study analyzed data from the National Cancer Institutes known as Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results, or SEER. The analysis was unique in including not only patients who had a diagnosis of IBC based on pathology reports, but also those with clinical symptoms consistent with IBC bringing the number of patients included in the study to nearly 30,000.

The team included two epidemiologists from the U-M School of Public Health: Yaoxuan Xia and Bhramar Mukherjee, Ph.D., chair of the department of biostatistics and a member of the Rogel Cancer Center.

We found that in these additional patients, the incidence rates by race were consistent with previously reported trends. This gave us confidence that our method was uncovering additional cases that had gone underreported in the past or were possibly misclassified in previous analyses, says study senior author Sofia Merajver, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Breast and Ovarian Cancer Risk and Evaluation Program at the Rogel Cancer Center. So therefore we believe our study is able to offer the most comprehensive assessment of incidence and survival rates of IBC to date.

Risk Of Recurrence And Metastatic Breast Cancer

;Due to the involvement of the skin in IBC, the risk for;local recurrence probability of lymph node metastasis is very high.

For this reason, breast physicians rarely suggest an;immediate mastectomy and instead will prescribe a course of ;preoperative chemotherapy.

Also, your physician will usually perform a full staging workup.;;A work-up involves;chest x-ray scans, bone scans, and even abdominal ultrasound scans.

After;chemotherapy, some patients may then undergo a full or modified radical mastectomy, along with axillary lymph node dissection.

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After surgery,; treatment with radiation therapy to the regional lymph nodes and to the chest wall usually follows.

Finally, women will likely receive endocrine therapy;or other targeted therapies specific to the hormone receptor status.

The active stage of treatment for inflammatory cancer of the breast is intensive and difficult and usually takes about 1 year to complete.

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A Few Months Later My Right Breast Remained Larger Than Usual And Had Become So Tender That It Was Painful To Wear A Bra

It was now December, and although I knew I needed to see a doctor, my ob-gyn had recently retired, and my husband was busier than ever in the midst of peak season as a UPS worker. On top of this, all three of my kids came down with a respiratory infection. They were sick for a good three and a half weeks. To take care of them, I put my needs last. And then, the pandemic hitwhich made it even harder to see a doctor.

In early January 2020, a lymph node on my neck flared up and became really tender. It was on the same side as my inflamed breast. This really concerned me, so I scheduled an appointment to see a primary care physician as soon as I could. When I finally got in, the doctor suspected I may have a bad case of mastitis and prescribed a round of antibiotics. But she also immediately set me up to get a diagnostic mammogram and ultrasound in order to rule out breast cancer.

Initially, I couldnt believe that cancer was a possibility. Growing up, Id learned about self-checks at school and knew I had to start getting mammograms in my 40s. But Id always been told that breastfeeding wasnt just good for my babyit also came with benefits for moms, including a reduced chance of breast cancer.

Woman Shares Photo Of Inflammatory Breast Cancer Symptom In Hope It’ll Save Lives

A woman has shared a photo of her breast in the hope itll educate others of the warning signs of inflammatory breast cancer.

Jennifer Cordts noticed a red rash on her left breast in 2015. After a mammogram came back all clear, she didnt think anything of it.

I was told, crazy enough, that my bra was too small, she told WFAA Dallas.

But when the rash didnt disappear, Cordts started Googling her symptoms and inflammatory breast cancer came up.

It was late at night, everybody was asleep, and I was terrified. I just had a bad feeling, she recalled.

One year after she first noticed the rash, a biopsy confirmed the worst – Cordts had stage four inflammatory breast cancer.

Inflammatory breast cancer is a rare type of breast cancer that grows along the lymph vessels in the skin of the breast, according to Macmillan Cancer Support.

Cancer cells may not form a lump, but they do block the vessels.

Symptoms of the disease include: redness, swelling or pain in the breast; the breast feeling hot to touch; skin of the breast looking pitted ; ridges or raised marks on the skin of the breast and pain in, or discharge from, the nipple.

Discussing the day she was diagnosed, Cordts revealed: I remember him saying inflammatory breast cancer and all I could think about was what Id Googled.

Because what Id Googled said that everybody dies, nobody survives.

I knew my fate right then.

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What Complications Are Associated With Inflammatory Breast Cancer

Treatment for IBC can bring its own set of complications, such as lymphedema after removal of lymph nodes.

Because IBC develops so quickly, the condition has usually spread to other tissues by the time it is diagnosed. This metastasis can create a need for additional treatment to other areas of the body. IBC is also more likely to recur compared to other forms of breast cancer.

How Did You Come To The University Of Maryland Cancer Center

The oncologist recommended that I consider treatment as part of a researchstudy. I knew that the type of breast cancer that I had inflammatorybreast cancer was aggressive and that I needed to begin treatment assoon as possible. So, after a complete battery of diagnostic tests, we madeappointments at two different hospitals to explore the options. One doctor thoughtI should have a bone marrow transplant, which sort of scared me. Then I cameand met with Dr. Tkaczuk . Right away, I knew I had found the place where I wantedto have my treatment. I felt a sense of caring and empathy with “Dr. Kate”immediately.

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Your Breast Looks Like It Has Been Bruised

If your breast is starting to have a bruised appearance with no other reason for the discoloration, the Mayo Clinic says it could be a sign of inflammatory breast cancersomething that can easily be confused with an infection. And for things you can do to improve your overall well-being, check out 100 Easy Ways to Be a Healthier Woman.

Diagnosis And Staging Of Inflammatory Breast Cancer

Because inflammatory breast cancer forms in layers, your doctor may not feel a distinct lump during a breast exam and a mammogram may not detect one either. However, it is possible to see and feel the skin thickening that often happens with IBC. This skin thickening can also be detected on a mammogram.

In most cases, inflammatory breast cancer is diagnosed after you or your doctor can see or feel breast changes such as redness, swelling, warmth, or an orange-peel look to the skin. Because IBC grows quickly, it is usually found at a locally advanced stage, meaning that cancer cells have spread into nearby breast tissue or lymph nodes. Just about all people with IBC have evidence of cancer in the lymph nodes. In approximately 1 out of 3 people with IBC, the cancer has spread from the breast to other areas of the body.

If youve been diagnosed with inflammatory breast cancer, its completely understandable if youre feeling overwhelmed. Keep in mind, though, that there are a variety of treatment options available for IBC.

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What Were Your First Signs Of Inflammatory Breast Cancer

Inflammatory breast cancer is a rare but rapidly growing cancer that gives rise to several signs and symptoms, mostly within a span of three to six months. One of the first signs is most likely to be visible swelling of the skin of the breast and/or redness of the breast . Other signs and symptoms include:

• Tender, painful, or itchy breasts
• Dimpling or pitting of the breast skin, resembling an orange peel
• Difference in the sizes of the breasts
• The affected breast becomes warmer and heavier than the normal breast
• A retracted or an inverted nipple
• Swelling of the lymph nodes near the collarbone or under the arms

All these symptoms in IBC are due to the cancer cells blocking the lymph channels in the breast. Having any of these symptoms does not mean that you have IBC. Because of the aggressive nature of the disease, it is important to consult your doctor right away. Your doctor will initially prescribe you antibiotics and see the response.

Playing An Active Role

You play an active role in making treatment decisions by understanding your breast cancer diagnosis, your treatment options and possible side effects.

Together, you and your health care provider can choose treatments that fit your values and lifestyle.

Learn more about factors that affect treatment options.

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‘inflammatory’ Breast Cancer Doesn’t Get Any Pink Awareness Patient And Doctor Insist

Catherine Teso had never heard of inflammatory breast cancer, a rare and aggressive form of breast cancer.

Pink ribbons for awareness are everywhere, but theres nothing about this type of breast cancer, said Teso, a married mother of two young kids from Valparaiso.

In April, she was diagnosed with the disease, described as cancer cells blocking lymph vessels in the skin of the breast. Its called inflammatory because the breast often looks swollen and red or inflamed. But because of this initially harmless-looking symptom, too many women get diagnosed too late for effective treatment, experts say.

Roughly 90 percent of the women with this deadly disease are wrongly prescribed antibiotics, which only delays the true diagnosis and proper treatment, said Dr. Massimo Cristofanilli at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago. There is simply not enough awareness of inflammatory breast cancer. More women need to be talking about it.

This is why Teso contacted me after getting diagnosed earlier than most patients with this disease, thanks to Lisa Loudenber, a certified nurse-midwife at Prima Bella Womens Health in Valparaiso.

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She saved my life, Teso said. She recognized it and even used the correct term because had a friend who died from it, she said. Otherwise, only one other person I know, my sister-in-law, had heard about it.

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What Is The Prognosis Of Patients With Inflammatory Breast Cancer

The prognosis, or likely outcome, for a patient diagnosed with cancer is often viewed as the chance that the cancer will be treated successfully and that the patient will recover completely. Many factors can influence a cancer patients prognosis, including the type and location of the cancer, the stage of the disease, the patients age and overall general health, and the extent to which the patients disease responds to treatment.

Because inflammatory breast cancer usually develops quickly and spreads aggressively to other parts of the body, women diagnosed with this disease, in general, do not survive as long as women diagnosed with other types of breast cancer.

It is important to keep in mind, however, that survival statistics are based on large numbers of patients and that an individual womans prognosis could be better or worse, depending on her tumor characteristics and medical history. Women who have inflammatory breast cancer are encouraged to talk with their doctor about their prognosis, given their particular situation.

Ongoing research, especially at the molecular level, will increase our understanding of how inflammatory breast cancer begins and progresses. This knowledge should enable the development of new treatments and more accurate prognoses for women diagnosed with this disease. It is important, therefore, that women who are diagnosed with inflammatory breast cancer talk with their doctor about the option of participating in a clinical trial.

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Re: Inflammatory Breast Cancer

Hi Maria, I have been away for a few days and have just seen your message on the new cancerchat site. Although my breast cancer is diferent to yours I too share the same feelings of fear and uncertainty for the future.If you read my site you will see my cancer went ‘walkabout’ so I was lucky enough be accepted on a full clinical trial to lengthen my odds for survival. I think I felt quite frightened after the active treatment finished as suddenly it was just me and my body left to get on with life, albeit with continued 6monthly checks. Any pains and tingling at the beginning scared me but as I still exprience them I just have to accept them as something I have to live with.I am now on anti-depressants and have been for a year as I had bad symptoms of anxiety linked to all the drugs. I am so grateful that one tiny pill has given me my life back and am at last living my life to the full but there are no guarentees in life and I too wonder what the future holds.You sound as though you have a good support network like I have but I sometimes feel I am putting on an act that everything is fine so as not to upset family and friends.But is that a bad thing? It certainly keeps a smile on faces when I go dancing or host parties and still telling bad jokes. Cancer is alonely experience and I just wanted you to know there are many kind, lovely people out there who share your feelings and I hope, like me, wish you well. Keep dancing. God Bless.

Hi Maria,

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