Inflammatory Breast Cancer - Symptoms

Symptoms

Symptoms are very variable and may not be present at all in occult inflammatory breast cancer. Quick onset of symptoms is typical, the breast often looks swollen and red, or “inflamed”, sometimes overnight, and are easy to misdiagnose as mastitis. Invasion of the local lymphatic ducts impairs drainage and causes edematous swelling of the breast. Because the skin of the breast is tethered by the suspensory ligament of Cooper, the accumulation of fluid may cause the skin of the breast to assume a dimpled appearance similar to an orange peel (peau d'orange). IBC is sometimes misdiagnosed as an insect bite or breast infection. In the case of IBC, a lump is usually not present as in other forms of breast cancer.

Symptoms may include:

• Pain in the breast
• Skin changes on breast
• Reddened area with texture resembling the peel of an orange (peau d’orange)
• Sudden swelling of the breast
• Itching of breast
• Nipple retraction (flattened look) or discharge
• Swelling of lymph nodes under the arm or in the neck
• Unusual warmth of the affected breast
• Breast is harder or firmer

Other symptoms may rarely include:

• Swelling of the arm
• Breast decreases instead of increasing
• Although a dominant mass is present in many cases, most inflammatory cancers present as diffuse infiltration of the breast without a well-defined tumor.
• A lump may become present and grow rapidly

Most patients do not experience all the symptoms of IBC. Not all symptoms need to be present in order to be diagnosed.