Breast Cancer - Inflammatory

Inflammatory breast cancer makes up 1% to 5% of all breast cancers. Because inflammatory breast cancer can grow and spread quickly, it may be advanced at the time of diagnosis and may be treated similarly to a late-stage breast cancer.

Based on the latest available data from the National Cancer Institute, from 1988 and 2001, the five-year survival rate (percentage of people who survive at least five years after the cancer is detected, excluding those who die from other diseases) of people with inflammatory breast cancer was 34%. However, survival rates can vary between 11% and 49% depending on the stage, tumor grade, certain features of the cancer, and the types of treatment used.

Cancer survival statistics should be interpreted with caution. These estimates are based on data from thousands of people with this type of cancer in the United States each year, but the actual risk for a particular individual may differ. It is not possible to tell a person how long he or she will live with inflammatory breast cancer. Because survival statistics for inflammatory breast cancer are measured in multi-year intervals, they may not represent recent advances made in the treatment or diagnosis of this cancer.

Source: National Cancer Institute