What is inflammatory breast cancer and why does it tend to strike younger women?
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- With Breast Cancer Awareness Month underway, doctors said it's important for women to know that it's not just lumps they should look for. There can be different kinds of symptoms.
Doctors said this is a kind of breast cancer that tends to strike younger women and it doesn't always show up on a mammogram.
It's rare -- but aggressive -- and early detection of inflammatory breast cancer could mean the difference between life and death.
"By the time we catch inflammatory breast cancer, one-third of patients will already have metastatic disease, meaning that the cancer has spread outside of the breast and lymph node areas," Dr. Sachin Jhawar, a radiation oncology specialist, said.
Because of that, survival rates are generally not as high for inflammatory breast cancer as they are for other types of the disease.
This form of breast cancer doesn't usually start with a lump and may not show up on a mammogram, according to the American Cancer Society.
There are five different signs and symptoms to watch out for:
- Orange peel-like texture or dimpling of skin
- Feeling of heaviness
- Tightening of the skin
- Engorgement of the breast
- An infection-like redness or swelling
"Many physicians don't think of it as breast cancer signs and symptoms," Dr. Jhawar said. "Patients will often get multiple rounds of antibiotics before they ever get to a breast biopsy."
Doctors said if you notice any of the signs you should see a doctor who's aware of this form of the disease immediately.
"So the patient can get appropriate work up with imaging and biopsy, that's the most important thing," Dr. Jhawar said.
The American Cancer Society said inflammatory breast cancer tends to occur in younger women also with those who are overweight or Black.
