Early treatment, information key in fighting IBC
Many of you were fortunate to know Vickie Lee. Described by friends as a traveler, teacher and fun-seeker who lived life to the fullest, Vickie courageously battled inflammatory breast cancer. Although she recently lost her battle, Vickie’s optimistic spirit was an inspiration and her disease, a warning.
If you don’t know what inflammatory breast cancer is, please take a few moments to read this and share it with those you love.
Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is rare, and it is the most aggressive form of breast cancer. It is called inflammatory breast cancer because its main symptoms are swelling and redness of the breast. Unlike other forms of breast cancer, IBC often lacks a distinct lump or tumor. Instead, cells grow in sheets that spread through the breast. IBC is not usually found by mammograms or ultrasounds unless there is a defined lump. If no lump is present, it can be hard to diagnose. Because IBC cells spread easily to other parts of the body, it requires prompt diagnosis and treatment.
IBC accounts for about one to five percent of all breast cancer cases in the United States. It tends to grow more quickly and aggressively than the more common types of breast cancer, and is often harder to treat successfully than other types of breast cancer.
Common signs and symptoms of IBC can include:
n breast swelling (usually sudden with one breast much larger than the other)
n itching
n a pink, red, or dark colored area, sometimes with a texture like the skin of an orange
n ridges and thickened areas of the skin
n breast feeling warm to the touch
n nipple retraction
n breast pain
Ten-derness, redness, warmth, and itching are also common symptoms of a breast infection or inflammation. Because these conditions are much more common than IBC, a doctor may at first suspect them as the cause. This may delay the true diagnosis. By the time cancer is diagnosed, lymph nodes may be enlarged under the arm or above the collar bone.
If you have any of these symptoms, it does not mean that you have IBC, but you should see your doctor without delay.
Treatment for inflammatory breast cancer often starts with several rounds of chemotherapy, hormone therapy or both. These systemic treatments affect the whole body. They are used to kill or control any cancer cells that might have spread to other parts of the body. Then local treatments, such as radiation therapy and surgery, are used to target the remaining cancer cells in the breast and under the arm. Sometimes systemic treatments are used again after the local treatments, and may include chemotherapy, hormone therapy and targeted therapy.
Advances in the treatment of breast cancer have improved the 5-year survival rates of women with IBC and new research is ongoing.
As with all forms of breast cancer, though, knowing your own breasts can be your most powerful tool in identifying an abnormality and seeking early medical intervention.
n Lynda Metz is the director of community development at Bonner General Hospital. The facts and statistics in this article were provided by the American Cancer Society and Susan G. Komen for the Cure.