Symptoms of Inflammatory Breast Cancer, IBC
One or more of the following are Typical Symptoms of IBC.
YOU DON'T HAVE TO HAVE A LUMP TO HAVE BREAST CANCER*
• Rapid, unusual increase in breast size
• Redness, rash, blotchiness on breast
• Persistent itching of breast or nipple
• Lump or thickening of breast tissue
• Stabbing pain and/or soreness of breast
• Feverish breast
• Swelling of lymph nodes under the arm or above the collarbone
• Dimpling or ridging of the breast
• Flattening or retracting of nipple
* If you suddenly develop a lump or mass, have it checked immediately. We have one reported case where a 9x8x5cm lump developed in only three weeks.
Use caution when relying on the interpretations and reports of the mammogram or ultrasound! Inflammatory breast cancer usually grows in nests or sheets, rather than as a confined solid tumor.
IBC may not be detected using either mammography or ultrasonography. Increased breast density compared to prior mammograms should be considered suspicious. Remember: You don't have to have a lump to have breast cancer.
The National Cancer Institute, NCI, describes the symptoms of IBC as:
• A lump or thickening in or near the breast or in the underarm area
• A change in the size or shape of the breast
• Nipple discharge or tenderness, or the nipple pulled back (inversion) into the breast
• Ridges or pitting of the breast (the skin looks like the skin of an orange)
• A change in the way the skin of the breast, areola, or nipple looks or feels (for example, warm, swollen, red, or scaly)
