INFLAMMATORY BREAST CANCER

INFLAMMATORY BREAST CANCER

Inflammatory breast cancer is a rare kind of breast cancer that develops rapidly, making the affected breast red, swollen, and tender. It occurs when cancer cells block the lymphatic channels in the breast-covering tissue, causing the breast to look characteristically red and swollen.

Inflammatory breast cancer is taken under consideration as a locally advanced cancer which suggests spread from its point of origin to nearby tissues and possibly to nearby lymph nodes.

 If you notice changes in the skin on your breast, seek medical attention immediately.

SYMPTOMS

Signs and symptoms of inflammatory breast cancer include:

  • Sudden change within the appearance of one breast
  • Thickness, heaviness, or visible enlargement of one breast
  • Discoloration, giving the impression of a red, purple, pink, or swollen breast
  • Unusual warmth of the affected breast
  • Dimpling of the affected breast
  • Tenderness, pain, or aching
  • Expanded lymph nodes behind the shoulder, above or below the collarbone
  • Flattening or turning inward of the nipple

DIAGNOSIS

Tests and techniques used to identify breast cancer with inflammation include:

  • Physical exam
  • Imaging tests. Uses breast X-ray (mammogram), breast ultrasound, or MRI.
  • Removing a sample of tissue for testing. A biopsy is one of the procedures. 
  • Determining the extent of the cancer

Additional tests could be necessary to figure out whether your cancer has spread to your lymph nodes or to other areas of your body.

Tests may include:

  • CT scan
  • Positron emission tomography (PET) scan
  • Bone scan

TREATMENT

Procedures in treating inflammatory breast cancer include:

After chemotherapy, you will have an operation that include:

  • Surgery for removing all of the breast tissues: lobules, ducts, fat, and a couple of skin, including the nipple and areola.
  • Surgery to get rid of the nearby lymph nodes. 
  • Radiation therapy uses high-powered beams of energy, like X-rays or protons, to kill cancer cells. 
  • Targeted therapy treatments attack specific abnormalities within cancer cells.
  • Hormone therapy used to treat breast cancers that use your hormones to grow. 
  • Medications that prevent the attachment of hormones to cancer cells.
  • Medications that avoid estrogen from being produced by the body during menopause.
  • Surgery or medications to stop hormone production within the ovaries.
  • Immunotherapy uses your system to fight cancer. 
  • Palliative care is an advanced medical care that focuses on offering pain relief and other major disease symptoms. 

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