Every 5 out of 10 women are at risk of breast cancer, out of which 45% percent of women survive, and the rest die. A few years and decades ago, detecting and treating breast cancer was challenging, but the advent of different tech-efficient diagnostics techniques has made it easier. In developed states like US and UK, some diagnostic center for women is now offering free of cost mammograms to those who can’t afford mammogram expenses.
Breast cancer symptoms can be very different for everyone. One might feel one, while the other might feel many. The symptoms of inflammatory breast cancer vary from patient to patient. However, it may be asymptomatic in some cases.
Breast swelling, redness, and irritated itching are some common symptoms reported by many people with inflammatory breast cancer.
What Is Inflammatory Breast Cancer?
Inflammatory breast cancer is a type of invasive ductal carcinoma. The cancer cell causes blockage of lymph vessels, which results in causing redness and swelling.
Inflammatory breast cancer is not like typical breast cancer and comes with treatment complications and procedures. According to women imaging specialists, it is a rare breast cancer found in 2% of every 10% of women globally. However, the condition is quite common in overweight women.
Diagnosis Of Inflammatory Breast Cancer
Diagnosing breast cancer in its early stages can aid in timely treatment. Besides increasing the patient’s survival chance, it also cures the disease.
Take a look at the widely used techniques practiced to diagnose breast cancer.
·      Mammogram
Almost every woman today has heard about mammograms or mammography. It is a diagnostic technique that uses low-frequency x-rays to capture the image of the women’s breast. Digital Mammography Services are one of the most effective scans for early breast cancer diagnosis.
·      Breast MRI
Breast MRI is a non-invasive and painless process. Moreover, it can be uncomfortable for some women. It uses strong large magnets to create a detailed image of women’s breasts. Breast MRIs are a great way of detecting cancer growth that is not detected by the mammogram.
·      Breast Biopsy
A breast biopsy is another technique to detect breast cancer at an early age. The process involves the removal of a breast tissue sample for testing. The women’s specialist recommends this test to detect lump formation in the women’s breasts.
Difference Between Inflammatory Differs & Typical Breast Cancer
There are several ways in which inflammatory breast cancer differs from typical breast cancer. Women’s imaging specialists say inflammatory breast cancer is less prevalent than standard breast cancer. Here are some of the symptoms that help practitioners differentiate between both types of breast cancer:
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Abnormal Cancer Cell-Growth
The inflammatory breast cancer cells tend to multiply 10% faster than normal breast cancer cells. Furthermore, chronic cases of inflammatory breast cancer can be fatal to patients.
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Always Diagnosed At An Advanced Stage
Inflammatory breast cancer is challenging to detect in its earlier stages. In 95% of cases, inflammatory breast cancer is diagnosed at an advanced stage.
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Prevalent In Black Women Than White Ones
Inflammatory breast cancer is more common in dusky women than in white women—however, the chances of this cancer are more in women younger than 40.
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Can Be Asymptomatic
One of the biggest challenges in diagnosing breast cancer is the absence of known symptoms. Inflammatory breast cancer does not cause any breast lump, making the diagnosis and treatment even more difficult.
Symptoms Indicating That You May Have Breast Cancer
In most cases, inflammatory breast cancer is asymptomatic. However, the disease is more likely to show and develop symptoms in three to six months. After six months, the disease enters the chronic phase and gradually becomes fatal for the patient. Below are some of the rarely observed symptoms:
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Edema
Abnormal swelling of one or more breasts is Edema. It is some of the initial symptoms of inflammatory breast cancer. However, in 90% of cases, Edema of the breast skin is seen after two to three months.
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Inverted Nipple
The inverted nipple is another symptom of inflammatory breast cancer. The condition is seen in one or both breasts. In some cases, the nipple flattens first and is then inverted after a month interval.
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Itching Sensation On One Or Both Breast
The itching or a tickling sensation on one or both breasts is the third symptom of the disease. Also, the intense itching makes the patient uncomfortable, increasing the breast size.
Inflammatory breast cancer can be asymptomatic in some cases. Besides the above symptoms, there are a few more symptoms. However, like every medical condition, the signs and symptoms vary accordingly, from one body to body.
So, in any case, if you feel any weird sensation like lump formation, intense itching, or abnormally increased breast size, it is better to consult medical professionals immediately.
read more about: 10 Preparation For Mammogram
Inflammatory Breast Cancer Treatment
As the diagnosis of the medical condition is nearly impossible at the initial stages, the initial phase of treatment begins with systematic chemotherapy. Practically, this therapy helps in shrinking cancer growth by up to 20%.
Later, the women’s imaging specialists perform surgery to remove the tumor and prevent cancer from spreading through the body. The other methods used for inflammatory breast cancer treatment are:
·      Surgery For Breast Cancer Removal
After the shrinking of the tumor, 75% of the women get standard surgery, mastectomy, to remove inflammatory breast cancer. Mastectomy is the surgical removal of the affected area; the painful procedure is often used to remove the affected part or affected breast from the body entirely.
In some rare cases, surgeons consider removing the underlying chest layer. However, it depends on the condition and severity of the disease.
·      Radiation Therapy
It is the fastest way of killing carcinomatous cells because the emission of an extremely high beam of x-rays directly affects the carcinoma cells. According to extensive research and experiments, the success rate of radiation therapy is more than 90%.
The radiation emitted during this therapy does not cause any serious damage to the normally functioning human cells. They work on destroying abnormal or cancerous body cells.
·      Neoadjuvant chemotherapy
Neoadjuvant chemotherapy is given before breast removal surgery. The surgeon uses a special kind of drug before surgical extraction. Usually, these drugs include anthracycline and taxane.
The total duration of this therapy is from four to six months. However, in contrast to neoadjuvant chemotherapy, adjuvant chemotherapy is effective after the surgical treatment to eliminate the remaining traces of cancer.
Factors Affecting The Growth & Development Of Inflammatory Breast Cancer
Several factors contribute to the growth and development of inflammatory breast cancers. Some risk factors are unchangeable, whereas others depend on the affected person’s lifestyle. The most highlighted risk factors are:
Obesity
Obesity is one of the most crucial risk factors for inflammatory breast cancer. On the other hand, women with higher blood sugar levels are more likely to get affected by cancer.
Obesity and being overweight after menopause is also a reason to cause inflammatory cancer.
Alcohol Consumption
Consuming alcohol gives rise to several chronic and fatal health issues. Similarly, it is the main cause of giving rise to inflammatory breast cancer. In contrast to the non-alcoholic ones, a person who consumes one glass of alcohol is 5 to 7% at risk of getting affected with inflammatory breast cancer.
Physically Unfit People
Being physically fit can protect the human body from many fatal medical conditions. According to scientific research, physical exercise reduces breast cancer risk.
The main reason is that physical exercise reduces body weight and maintains the hormonal level, which is why it reduces inflammatory breast cancer risk.
Takeaway
Among several types of fatal cancers, Inflammatory breast cancer is known to be one the most aggressive type of cancer. However, it is rare. According to a survey, inflammatory cancer is more prevalent in black women than in white ones. In addition, several risk factors can trigger cancer growth and development.
With the invention of mammograms, PET scans, and breast biopsies, it is now easier to diagnose and treat inflammatory breast cancer. If you feel a lump growing in your chest area, it is best advised to consult a physician immediately. Also, if you reside in New Jersey and the surroundings, then AQMDI’s women’s imaging service can help diagnose the conditions.