Inflammatory Breast Cancer

[wdwiala]

I'm going to spin-off on a thread here and I hope that the family of MIcky 7337 won't mind.

Inflammatory breast cancer is rare but it also has the highest mortality rate of any breast cancer. I have a friend who went to three doctors before they believed her enough to test for IBC. She is lucky to have survived through it. Know your facts and know your symptoms ladies. You aren't always looking for a lump. This is a whole different type of breast cancer than what we usually hear about.


One or more of the following are Typical Symptoms of IBC:

Swelling, usually sudden, sometimes a cup size in a few days
Itching
Pink, red, or dark colored area (called erythema) sometimes with texture similar to the skin of an orange (called peau d’orange)
Ridges and thickened areas of the skin
Nipple retraction
Nipple discharge, may or may not be bloody
Breast is warm to the touch
Breast pain (from a constant ache to stabbing pains)
Change in color and texture of the areola

Here is a great video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=llBNfFaT0mw

 

[cm8]

I'm going to spin-off on a thread here and I hope that the family of MIcky 7337 won't mind.

Inflammatory breast cancer is rare but it also has the highest mortality rate of any breast cancer. I have a friend who went to three doctors before they believed her enough to test for IBC. She is lucky to have survived through it. Know your facts and know your symptoms ladies. You aren't always looking for a lump. This is a whole different type of breast cancer than what we usually hear about.


One or more of the following are Typical Symptoms of IBC:

Swelling, usually sudden, sometimes a cup size in a few days
Itching
Pink, red, or dark colored area (called erythema) sometimes with texture similar to the skin of an orange (called peau d’orange)
Ridges and thickened areas of the skin
Nipple retraction
Nipple discharge, may or may not be bloody
Breast is warm to the touch
Breast pain (from a constant ache to stabbing pains)
Change in color and texture of the areola

Here is a great video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=llBNfFaT0mw

I know a lot of people who were finally treated for IBC, It is always considered stage IV when diagnosed due to the severity of it. Some Doctors even prescribe antibiotics thinking you have mastitis before they will even go further. One thing I will never understand is why the patients are put through the ringer for getting care and why some Doctor's don't loose the "god complex" and listen to what the patient is saying

 

[LuvOrlando]

Odd that you mention this, I have a 49 year old friend who was just diagnosed with this last year. From what she told me the cancer grows like shards of glass, in sheets so there are no lumps. Thank goodness she was keeping up with her mammograms because she had already had a hysterectomy years ago. She had a first round of surgery but then they had to go back in again. poor thing has a 16 year old son and a 10 year old daughter and she is continually in my prayers. The thing about this form is it is super aggressive, my friend's last Mammo was clear and one year later, it was bad... very bad so if you have pain or see changes, don't wait, RUN and fight for yourself if you have to.

Personally, I have a great deal of cancer in my family I stay up with my Mammograms. In fact I had to push to get them started early because an aunt of mine was diagnosed at 32 and ultimately died because they fumbled the ball with her because she was 'too young' to get cancer... tell that to the cancer.

 

[Poohbear123]

Thanks for the heads up, I get my Mammo Oct. 6 and will be asking my Tech about this.

 

[wdwiala]

I know a lot of people who were finally treated for IBC, It is always considered stage IV when diagnosed due to the severity of it. Some Doctors even prescribe antibiotics thinking you have mastitis before they will even go further. One thing I will never understand is why the patients are put through the ringer for getting care and why some Doctor's don't loose the "god complex" and listen to what the patient is saying

Unfortunately, mastitis seems to be a common misdiagnosis. My friend had valuable time wasted on the antibiotic run.

 

[BernardandMissBianca]

A teacher and friend of mine was diagnosed at 30 with IBC. She just had her second child, Dr's think all the hormones sped up the process. She actually only had 2 symptoms. The first was the teachers started a Biggest Loser challenge and she lost 15 pounds in about 2 weeks and right after that she could actually see the growth protrude from under the skin right above her areola.

It was scary but she is doing well now.

 

[Hillbeans]

It's rough talking about this, I just posted on the thread about the brain cancer.

My MIL was diagnosed with IBC the day before Thanksgiving 2008. My nephew kicked her accidentally in her right breast a month before and she apparently had a huge bruise that didn't go away. She was diagnosed with stage 3B IBC. She started Chemo Christmas week 2008 and had 2 months of hell. She came to live with us in March of last year and continued her treatment near us at a well known hospital. Honestly, the diagnosis is very grim, just as others said there is no tumor and it spreads so quickly (to her brain as well) it just couldn't be stopped. It was awful. She died Christmas day, 2009. Of all days, she would be horrified to know that's the day it happened. Honestly I don't talk about it much because it's just so surreal. She died at 60.

She wasn't sick and was in decent shape as well. It was just one of those things. She never drank alcohol and never smoked.

 

[wdwiala]

It's rough talking about this, I just posted on the thread about the brain cancer.

My MIL was diagnosed with IBC the day before Thanksgiving 2008. My nephew kicked her accidentally in her right breast a month before and she apparently had a huge bruise that didn't go away. She was diagnosed with stage 3B IBC. She started Chemo Christmas week 2008 and had 2 months of hell. She came to live with us in March of last year and continued her treatment near us at a well known hospital. Honestly, the diagnosis is very grim, just as others said there is no tumor and it spreads so quickly (to her brain as well) it just couldn't be stopped. It was awful. She died Christmas day, 2009. Of all days, she would be horrified to know that's the day it happened. Honestly I don't talk about it much because it's just so surreal. She died at 60.

She wasn't sick and was in decent shape as well. It was just one of those things. She never drank alcohol and never smoked.

Thank you for telling us.

 

[holycow]

Thank you for keeping us informed. I had actually never heard of this. And no I don't live under a rock!

 

[arminnie]

A friend of mine discovered a suspicious lump in her right breast. Her doctor did a diagnositic MRI and INSISTED on testing the left breast also. He found the IBC in the left breast and told her it would never have shown up in a mammogram. She was lucky to have the lump in the other breast and to have a doctor who insisted that both breasts be tested.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

There are at least two other Dis posters that I recall who are survivors of IBC.

Here's more info on IBC: http://www.breastcancer.org/symptoms/types/ask_expert/2006_10/

Bottom line is that if you see changes in your breast that don't go away, they need to be evaluated, ideally by a breast surgeon.

 

[Hillbeans]

Bottom line is that if you see changes in your breast that don't go away, they need to be evaluated, ideally by a breast surgeon.

You are so right. The scary thing is that she had annual Mammograms and a clean one about 6 months before the diagnosis. She was living in rural PA and was only the 2nd case of IBC they had seen at her Oncologist, hence why we brought here to NJ for treatment. It's still pretty rare, thank goodness because it's so aggressive.