Inflammatory breast cancer rare, but also very serious

In her sappy novel “Firefly Lane” author Kristin Hannah has one of her characters diagnosed with inflammatory breast cancer.

“Kate glanced down at the quarter-sized red patch beneath her right nipple. The skin was slightly puckered like an orange peel,” Hannah wrote.

“It started as a bug bite. My family doctor thought it was an infection and put me on antibiotics. It went away for a while and then came back. Sometimes it feels hot — that’s how I know it’s an infection.”

Kate tells the doctor that she’s good at self-examination and that she had her last mammogram a year prior.

What this character is describing is how different the symptoms for IBC are compared to common breast cancers. IBC rarely causes a breast lump making it difficult to detect in a mammogram.

There are roughly 212,000 cases of breast cancer diagnosed in the U.S. each year. Of those only one to five percent will be IBC.

The National Cancer Institute’s website says, “Symptoms of inflammatory breast cancer include swelling (edema) and redness (erythema) 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 (called peau d’orange). These symptoms are caused by the buildup of fluid (lymph) 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.

“Other symptoms of inflammatory breast cancer include a rapid increase in breast size; sensations of heaviness, burning, or tenderness in the breast; or a nipple that is inverted (facing inward).

Swol-len lymph nodes may also be present under the arm, near the collarbone, or in both places.

“It is important to note that these symptoms may also be signs of other diseases or conditions, such as an infection, injury, or another type of breast cancer that is locally advanced. For this reason, women with inflammatory breast cancer often have a delayed diagnosis of their disease.”

According to the American Cancer Society, IBC tends to occur at a younger age (average 52) than the more common breast cancers and more often occurs in women who are overweight or obese. As with other breast cancers it can affect men as well.

ACS also says that it’s very aggressive; it spreads and grows very quickly. By definition it’s never found at an early stage, but always at least stage IIIB which means locally advanced because the breast cancer cells have grown into the skin.

Treatment is also very aggressive. NCI explains, “Inflammatory breast cancer is treated first with systemic chemotherapy to help shrink the tumor, then with surgery to remove the tumor, followed by radiation therapy. This approach to treatment is called a multimodal approach. Studies have found that women with inflammatory breast cancer who are treated with a multi-modal approach have better responses to therapy and longer survival.”

If you have any of the above described symptoms, don’t put off seeing your healthcare professional. Don’t think because this is a rare disease that it can’t happen to you. And, if you have any questions about your breast health, don’t wait until your next mammogram. Call your clinician right away.

The character in the book dies, but we told you it was sappy. It doesn’t have to happen.

Kathy Hubbard is a trustee on Bonner General Hospital Foundation Board. She can be reached at 264-4029 or kathyleehubbard@yahoo.com.