maysvillebulldog
August 21st, 2007, 02:25 AM
Today I received an email concerning IBC. Frankly, I had never heard of it but it is Inflammatory Breast Cancer! It has become known as the silent killer because it is not usually prefaced with a lump and it can go undetected even by a mammogram. Therefore, when it is detected it is often too late. The cancer is metastatic and may have spread to other parts of the body by the time it is found. Currently, the two means of detection are through biopsy and an MRI. I am attaching a link to "youtube" that is graphic in nature but does give some insight into this dreadful disease. The link is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3s9_UrVtc6c
I did some research and found the following symptoms listed under the Mayo Clinic.
Signs and symptoms of inflammatory breast cancer include:
*A breast that appears red, purple, pink or bruised
*A tender, firm and enlarged breast
*A warm feeling in the breast
*Itching of the breast
*Pain
*Ridged or dimpled skin texture, similar to an orange peel
*Thickened areas of skin
*Enlarged lymph nodes under the arm, above the collarbone or below the collarbone
*Flattening or retraction of the nipple
*Swollen or crusted skin on the nipple
*Change in color of the skin around the nipple (areola)
It's easy to confuse the signs and symptoms of inflammatory breast cancer with those of a breast infection (mastitis). Breast infections occur most often in younger women who are breast-feeding. Breast infections cause a fever, and they're easily treated with antibiotics. On the contrary, inflammatory breast cancer doesn't typically cause a fever, nor does it respond to antibiotics.
I did some research and found the following symptoms listed under the Mayo Clinic.
Signs and symptoms of inflammatory breast cancer include:
*A breast that appears red, purple, pink or bruised
*A tender, firm and enlarged breast
*A warm feeling in the breast
*Itching of the breast
*Pain
*Ridged or dimpled skin texture, similar to an orange peel
*Thickened areas of skin
*Enlarged lymph nodes under the arm, above the collarbone or below the collarbone
*Flattening or retraction of the nipple
*Swollen or crusted skin on the nipple
*Change in color of the skin around the nipple (areola)
It's easy to confuse the signs and symptoms of inflammatory breast cancer with those of a breast infection (mastitis). Breast infections occur most often in younger women who are breast-feeding. Breast infections cause a fever, and they're easily treated with antibiotics. On the contrary, inflammatory breast cancer doesn't typically cause a fever, nor does it respond to antibiotics.