Recently
I received an email containing a link to watch a video about Inflammatory Breast
Cancer (IBC). As a woman in her thirties of course I know about Breast cancer
and what needs to be done to help detect it. Monthly exams, mammograms later on
in life...the whole gamut but after watching this video I realized there was an
aspect I never heard of. I asked my sister who is a nurse and she'd never heard
of IBC either. I then began looking on the web to find out more information.
What is even scarier is that many doctors often mislabel it or don't recognize
it for what it is.
IBC is a rare form of breast cancer that is advanced and accelerated
that is usually not detected by mammograms or ultrasounds. It also requires
aggressive treatment that is different from the more well known forms of
Breast Cancer.
IBC usually grows in nests or sheets unlike the usual Breast Cancer that
forms tumors. This means it can be diffused through out the breast and not
have a tangible mass.
You do not have to have a lump to have IBC
IBC happens in men as well as women.
Some Symptoms
of IBC: (note that these are different then the most common forms of
breast cancer)
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
What appears to be a bruise that does not go away
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 aureole
To read more about IBC check out the following links:
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