What is inflammatory breast cancer?
Inflammatory breast cancer is a rare and rapidly growing form of breast cancer. Unlike other breast cancers which can form a lump, inflammatory breast cancer spreads along and blocks the lymph vessels in the skin of the breast. Lymph vessels are responsible for removing fluid and other waste products from the body’s tissues to help prevent infections. When the lymph vessels become blocked, the breast becomes red and swollen, similar to an infection. It is this appearance that gives inflammatory breast cancer its name.
About 13,000 women and 100 men are diagnosed with breast cancer each year in Australia. Of these only 1–2% will be diagnosed with inflammatory breast cancer.
