How is inflammatory breast cancer diagnosed?
biopsy is needed to diagnose this cancer. During a biopsy, the doctor takes a
sample of the breast or the breast skin. The sample is looked at in a lab to
see if it contains cancer cells.
It's very important to diagnose
inflammatory breast cancer quickly so that treatment can begin. But because it
is rare and usually doesn't make a lump, doctors may not recognize the symptoms
right away. The cancer is often mistaken for other problems, like spider bites,
an allergic reaction, or
mastitis, which is a breast infection that is usually
Antibiotics do not help
inflammatory breast cancer. If your doctor has given you antibiotics and your
symptoms do not seem to be getting better after a week, call your
After a biopsy shows that you have this type of cancer,
your doctor will order more tests—such as a mammogram, a
bone scan, or a
CAT scan—to see if the cancer has spread.
How is it treated?
It's very important to treat
this cancer as soon as possible. And more than one type of treatment may be
needed. Treatment starts with anticancer drugs, called
chemotherapy. These drugs help shrink the cancer.
Some tests will be done to help find which medicines will work
best for you. These tests look at cancer cells from your biopsy to find out
what kind of cancer you have. These tests include:
Chemotherapy is usually followed by surgery (mastectomy). During surgery, some of the lymph nodes are removed. Afterwards, most women have radiation therapy.
More chemotherapy or
hormone therapy (or both) may be used after radiation,
especially if cancer has spread to the
Women who test positive for HER-2 may be treated with trastuzumab (Herceptin) during chemotherapy and afterwards.
Talk with your doctor about taking part in a
clinical trial. Many women who have inflammatory breast cancer are good
candidates for clinical trials, which study new treatments for IBC and better ways to use current treatments.