What are the signs and symptoms of inflammatory breast cancer?
The signs of inflammatory breast cancer can develop quickly and may include:
- the breast looks red or inflamed or develops a rash – it often looks as if it is infected or bruised
- the breast becomes swollen and enlarged and may feel heavy or uncomfortable
- the breast feels warm and tender
- the skin on the breast can appear dimpled or pitted, like an orange peel.
Some people may also have a lump in their breast or armpit, pain in the breast or nipple, discharge from the nipple or a nipple that turns inwards (inverted nipple).
How is inflammatory breast cancer diagnosed?
The first step in investigating any breast change is for a doctor to take a medical history and do a physical examination of both breasts. Inflammatory breast cancer can be difficult to diagnose because often there is no lump and the symptoms are similar to those of a breast infection. For some women, the disease is diagnosed when there is no improvement of symptoms following treatment with a course of antibiotics
A number of tests are used to confirm the diagnosis, including:
- a mammogram (or X-ray) and sometimes an ultrasound of both breasts
- removal of cells or tissue from the skin of the breast and/or from the breast itself for examination under a microscope; this is called a biopsy and may be done under a local anaesthetic
- if one or more lymph node(s) in the armpit (axilla) feel enlarged, cells may also be removed from the lymph nodes for examination under a microscope; this is called a lymph node biopsy.
If these tests show signs of inflammatory breast cancer, other tests may be carried out to see whether cancer cells have spread to other parts of the body. These tests may include blood tests, bone scans, ultrasounds or CT scans. This is called ‘staging’ and the results will affect the types of treatment recommended.
The results of the biopsy are recorded on a pathology report. You may find it useful to keep a copy of the pathology report and other test results so that you can refer to them in the future.
