0 Information on IBC....You Can Never Get Enough

When a Red Breast Means Cancer by Patrick Maguire MD

Possibilities

There are several reasons why a person can develop acute (fairly sudden onset of) breast redness. Infection and inflammation are the two most common causes. Both of these conditions need to be treated in a timely fashion in order to improve health & minimize pain. They usually resolve over a week or two. However, there is one cause of breast redness that is always life-threatening: inflammatory breast cancer (IBC).

Warning Signs IBC is a particularly aggressive form of breast cancer. Among every 100 patients diagnosed with breast cancer, about 2 - 5 will have IBC. It’s more commonly diagnosed in younger women and the redness can come on literally over a few days. While most people who develop a red breast will NOT have IBC, both patients and their primary doctors need to be aware of the possibility. This diagnosis should be particularly suspected in patients who still have a red breast after treatment with antibiotics or anti-inflammatories for a presumed infection or inflammation. The classic description of the appearance of IBC is peau d’orange (orange peel) skin.

Diagnosis & Staging The diagnosis is confirmed by biopsy of the breast skin, usually by a breast surgeon or radiologist. Pathologists, the specially trained doctors who look at the biopsy tissue under the microscope, will usually describe tumor cells in the lymphatic channels of the breast tissue and breast skin. The blockage of these channels is usually the cause of the breast redness in IBC. Often there is no specific mass or lump in the breast, only diffuse red, thickened breast skin. Evaluation of the breast itself should include mammogram, often ultrasound (if a mass is felt), and sometimes MRI. All patients with IBC are considered to have aggressive disease. In that regard, unless the patient is in very poor condition and would not tolerate treatment, staging studies should be performed to assess whether the cancer has visibly spread elsewhere. These scans would include PET/CT or CT of chest and abdomen and bone scan. Patients with symptoms such as severe headache, nausea, and vomiting should also have MRI of the brain.

Treatment & Outcome

As with all breast cancers, the treatment for IBC can be broken down into two categories: locoregional (breast and lymph nodes) and systemic (throughout the body). A common mistake that a surgeon can make is to recommend a mastectomy (removal of the breast) first. Patients who are in reasonable medical condition should almost always have chemotherapy first, then mastectomy, then radiation therapy to the chestwall and regional lymph nodes. Hormonal and targeted therapies (such as Herceptin) may be recommended also, depending on the specific tumor biology. Among patients who have no evidence of metastasis (disease spread to distant areas in the body) at the time of diagnosis and are potentially curable, 40-50% are alive 5 years later. Awareness about this particularly aggressive form of breast cancer and its treatment is critical to ensure the best chance for cure.

You can LIKE Dr. on Facebook by clicking here. His blog is also a wealth of information on all types of cancer. A special thank you to Dr. Maquire for helping us get the word out on this!!! Our hope is that it will save many lives....so please pass this on to all your friends and family. Living life to the fullest, Jan & Julie