Inflammatory breast cancer tends to be diagnosed at younger ages when compared to other cancers; and it’s more common and diagnosed at younger ages in African-American women than in white women. The median age at diagnosis in African-American women is 54 years, compared with a median age of 58 years in white women. It’s also more common in overweight women than in women of normal weight.
Often times, treatments such as tamoxifen aren’t effective against inflammatory breast tumors because they are hormone receptor negative. Inflammatory breast cancer can strike men as well as women, but usually it strikes at an older age. Remember that inflammatory breast cancer is a very rare, but aggressive type of cancer and it’s important to always notice any changes in your breast whether you’re a male or female. Because this disease is so relatively rare, people with inflammatory breast cancer are encouraged to enroll in clinical trials in which new treatments are being tested simply to take any advantage such medicine or techniques may offer in conjunction with those currently in use. This disease accounts for only one to five percent of all breast cancers diagnosed in the United States. Typically there’s no lump to be felt, and the disease escapes diagnosis until it has progressed to stage III or IV, at which point it has already spread only to nearby lymph nodes, stage III,---or to other tissues as well, stage IV.
Inflammatory breast cancer usually progresses rapidly, often in a matter of weeks or months. Symptoms include swelling and redness that affect a third or more of the breast. The skin of the breast may also appear pink, reddish purple, or bruised. In addition, the skin may have ridges or appear pitted, like the skin of an orange. These symptoms are caused by the buildup of lymph fluid in the skin of the breast. This fluid buildup occurs because cancer cells have blocked lymph vessels in the skin, preventing the normal flow of lymph through the tissue. Sometimes, the breast may contain a solid tumor that can be felt during a physical exam, but, more often, a tumor cannot be felt.
Other symptoms include a rapid increase in breast size; sensations of heaviness, burning, or tenderness in the breast, or a nipple that is inverted. Swollen lymph nodes may also be present under the arm, near the collarbone, or in both places.
Inflammatory breast cancer can be difficult to diagnose. Often, there is no lump that can be felt during a physical exam or seen in a screening mammogram. In addition, most women diagnosed with inflammatory breast cancer have dense breast tissue, which makes cancer detection in a screening mammogram more difficult. Also, because inflammatory breast cancer is so aggressive, it can arise between scheduled screening mammograms and progress quickly. The symptoms of inflammatory breast cancer may be mistaken for those of mastitis or another form of locally advanced breast cancer.
There are published guidelines to help you choose the best course of treatment and how the disease is diagnosed.
