What is IBC - Inflammatory Breast Cancer?:
IBC is a type of breast cancer which is less common than ductal or lobular breast cancer. It is an advanced, aggressive form of cancer, which is usually not detected by a mammogram or an ultrasound. When properly diagnosed, it is usually already at Stage 3b or Stage 4. It commonly grows in nests or sheets, not in lumps. This makes it easy for the cancer to spread through the body, beyond the breast, via the lymph system. IBC is often mistaken for other conditions.Is IBC diagnosed only in menopausal women?:
No, this cancer has been found in women in their early twenties, and has even been diagnosed in women during pregnancy or during lactation (breast feeding). It can occur in women from post-puberty (after the teenage years) to post-menopause (the change of life.)IBC Signs and Symptoms:
- a sudden increase in mature breast size (as much as a cup size in a few days)
- itching in the skin of the breast that is continuous and not relieved by pills or creams
- a change in the breast skin color, resulting in pink, red, or dark-colored areas
- breast is excessively warm to the touch, or harder or firmer than usual
- unusual pain, which occurs out of the regular cycle
- sometimes a change in skin texture, similar to the skin of an orange
Tests used to diagnose IBC:
- diagnostic mammogram - for comparison with a baseline mammogram
- breast ultrasound (sonography or ultrasonography)
- MUGA Scan (Multiple Gated Acquisition Scan) - makes an image of the heart
- chest x-ray (chest radiography) - images the lungs, heart and chest wall
- bone Scan (radionuclide scan) - images any spread of cancer to the bones
- CAT Scan, PET Scan, and MRI are also used - images soft tissue, bone, and blood vessels
Kinds of Diagnostic Biopsies for IBC:
- Fine Needle Aspiration Biopsy (FNA)
- Core Needle Biopsy
- Vacuum-Assisted Biopsy
- Large Core Biopsy
- Punch Biopsy
- Surface Biopsy
- Open Surgical Biopsy (Excisional and Incisional)
Stages of IBC:
IBC is always staged as Stage 3b or Stage 4, if it has spread beyond the breast, lymph nodes under the arm, or lymph nodes above the collarbone, lymph nodes on the same side as the affected breast. Stage 3b means that the cancer is larger than 5cm, is in at least one lymph node, and has not spread beyond its original location. Stage 4 means that the cancer is in the chest wall and/or skin, lymph nodes are involved, and it has spread beyond the starting site.Treatments used to fight IBC:
- chemotherapy (kills cancer cell and shrinks tumors)
- radiation (kills cancer cell and shrinks tumors)
- surgery (mastectomy, lymph node removal)
- hormone therapies (to prevent return of cancer)
Some differences between IBC and other kinds of breast cancer:
Inflammatory breast cancer, unlike ductal or lobular breast cancers, is usually not detected until after it has reached a more advanced stage of development. It is treated first with chemotherapy, and then with surgery, which is exactly the reverse order in which ductal and lobular cancers are typically treated. Chemo for IBC must be timely and aggressive, so that it can counteract the growth of the cancer, and give the patient a better chance of clear margins from surgery, which increase the odds of survival.IBC has a high risk of recurrence (return of the cancer) and is the most aggressive kind of breast cancer. But thanks to earlier diagnosis and more effective treatments, patients are living longer and having a better quality of life after diagnosis. If arrested early, IBC can be a manageable disease, and a patient may become a long-term survivor.
