More than 200,000 American women are diagnosed with breast cancer every year. And about six percent of all invasive breast cancer cases involve a condition called inflammatory breast cancer (IBC), the most aggressive and often undiagnosed form of the disease.IBC does not present itself in the form of a lump or mass and is typically not detected by self-examination, mammogram, or ultrasound.
IBC is a misunderstood disease. But if women learn to recognize some of the symptoms, there is a better chance for better diagnosis, treatment, and survival.
Think about this, a list of early symptoms of IBC:
• One breast rapidly becomes larger than the other
• Breast has a rash, redness, or blotchiness
• Breast and/or nipple persistently itches
• Breast tissue thickens or feels lumpy
• Breast becomes sore with sharp pains
• Breast is warm to the touch or feverish
• Lymph nodes under the arm or above the collarbone become swollen
• Breast dimples and may look like the skin of an orange
• Nipple retracts or flattens
• Color of the areola (the dark skin around the nipple) changes
Contact your doctor immediately if you detect any of these symptoms.
