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Skin that feels warm or hotColor changes " � Skin looks pink, red, or purple.Thicker skinDimples or pits on the skin " � This can look like the skin on an orange.Nipple changes. These can include:- Flat nipple
- Nipple that turns red
- A crust or blister on the nipple
- Nipple that points in (if it pointed out before)
Painful, swollen breast
Should I see a doctor or nurse? " � See your doctor or nurse right away if you have any of the symptoms above. � �
Is there a test for inflammatory breast cancer? " � Yes. The doctor or nurse will order a special kind of X-ray called a "mammogram. " � This is a test for breast cancer. It is done on both breasts. � �
The doctor or nurse will do an exam and learn about the symptoms. This can help find IBC. It can also show if another condition is causing the symptoms. � �
If you might have IBC, you will probably have another test called a "biopsy. " � During a biopsy, a doctor takes one or more small samples of tissue. These samples can be from: � �
- The breast
- The skin on the breast
- The lymph nodes " � These are small, bean-shaped organs that are part of the bodys infection-fighting system.
If you have IBC, the doctor might order imaging tests to see if the cancer has spread. These imaging tests might be a CT, bone scan, or other imaging tests. Imaging tests create detailed pictures of the inside of the body. � �
How is inflammatory breast cancer treated? " � Most people with IBC have the following treatments: � �
- Chemotherapy " � Chemotherapy is the term doctors use to describe a group of medicines that kill cancer cells. If a person has IBC, doctors give these medicines before surgery or radiation therapy. The medicines can shrink the cancer. If the medicines shrink the cancer enough, the person is usually treated with surgery to remove the breast (called a "mastectomy " �) and the lymph nodes under the arm. If the medicines do not shrink the cancer enough, the second step might be radiation therapy, then followed by an operation.
- Mastectomy " � Mastectomy is surgery to remove the whole breast. A "modified radical mastectomy " � also removes lymph nodes. This helps doctors take out as much cancer as possible.
- Radiation therapy " � Radiation kills cancer cells. Most people with IBC have radiation after chemotherapy and surgery. Sometimes, if there was not a good response to the chemotherapy, radiation is done before the operation.
- Hormone therapy " � Some forms of breast cancer grow in response to hormones. The doctor might give you treatments to block hormones. Treatments can also stop your body from making certain hormones.
What happens after treatment? " � After treatment, you need to be checked as often as the doctor says. IBC often comes back after treatment. The doctor will check to see if it comes back. � �
All topics are updated as new evidence becomes available and our peer review process is complete. � �
This topic retrieved from UpToDate on: Nov 04, 2014. � �
Topic 83033 Version 4.0 � �
Release: 22.8 - C22.206 � �
� � 2014 UpToDate, Inc. All rights reserved. � �
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