Overview

Inflammatory breast cancer is a rare form of breast cancer. The cancer gets its name because the symptoms are like those of mastitis (inflammation of the breast) and include redness, tenderness, swelling, and pain in the breast. However, unlike mastitis, inflammatory breast cancer does not improve with antibiotic treatment.

The breast is mainly composed of fatty tissue. Within this tissue is a network of lobes, which are made up of tiny, tube-like structures called lobules that contain milk glands. Tiny ducts connect the glands, lobules, and lobes, carrying the milk from the lobes to the nipple, located in the middle of the areola (darker area that surrounds the nipple of the breast). Blood and lymph vessels run throughout the breast; blood nourishes the cells, and the lymph system drains bodily waste products. The lymph vessels connect to lymph nodes, which are tiny, bean-shaped organs that help fight infection.

Cancer may begin as a single, genetically abnormal cell. As this one cell divides, it eventually becomes a tumor (a mass of cells) and develops a blood supply to nourish its continued growth. At some point, cells may break off from the primary mass and move to other parts of the body in a process called metastasis.

In inflammatory breast cancer, the cancer cells block the lymph vessels within the breast. Because this type of breast cancer can grow quickly, it is treated with a combination of chemotherapy, surgery, radiation therapy, and hormone therapy.

Statistics

Estimates of the incidence of inflammatory breast cancer range from 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.

The five-year relative 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 is between 25% and 50%.

Cancer survival statistics should be interpreted with caution. These estimates are based on data from thousands of cases of 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 are measured in five-year intervals, they may not represent advances made in the treatment or diagnosis of this cancer.

Source: National Cancer Institute

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