Symptoms

Women with inflammatory breast cancer may experience the following symptoms. Sometimes, women with inflammatory breast cancer do not show any of these symptoms. Or, these symptoms may be caused by a medical condition that is not cancer. If you are concerned about a symptom on this list, please talk with your doctor. Symptoms of inflammatory breast cancer may appear quickly and within a short time of each other.

• A red, swollen, or warm breast. This symptom is caused when the cancer cells block the lymph vessels in the skin of the breast. Because inflammatory breast cancer cells are located within the lymph channels of the breast, it often quickly spreads throughout the body.
  
  
• Skin or nipple changes, including ridges, puckering, or roughness on the skin. This roughness has been compared with the skin of an orange (peau d’orange).
  
  
• A lump in the breast, although often there is not distinct lump
  
  
• Pain in the breast or nipple
  
  
• Nipple discharge