Frances Mendez-Watson
Alaska Career College Inflammatory Breast Cancer
Inflammatory Breast Cancer, or IBC, is a rare and aggressive form of breast cancer that is often diagnosed at stage III or IV because unlike most common types of breast cancers, this type does not typically cause a lump in the breast and symptoms are unlike those of other cancer types. This form of breast cancer only occurs about 1% to 5% of all breast cancers but since it is often misdiagnosed with mastitis, an inflammation in the breast, there are no exact numbers on how many women are actually affected by this disease. It is also more common in younger aged woman (early 50s) than women with a more common type. African-Americans and overweight or obese women also have a higher chance of getting this disease.
Cancer
Cancer is the result of abnormal cells forming and uncontrollably grows, creating a malignant tumor. When cancer cells are not caught on time, they can break off and travel to other parts of the body in the process called metastasis.
Breast cancers usually start off in the lining of the milk ducts or where milk is produced. A lump in the breast and an abnormal mammogram are usually the first indications that cancer is present.
Inflammatory Breast Cancer …show more content…
Since lumps are not usually present in this type of breast cancer, it is often treated with antibiotics at first as if it were just an inflammation of the breast and often tumors are not visible during a mammogram but does show the thickening of the