Inflammatory Breast Cancer Prognosis

Inflammatory breast cancer prognosis - On this page you will find information about how many people are diagnosed with this type of cancer each year. You will also learn some general information about the disease. Remember, the survival rate depends on many factors.

Inflammatory breast cancer is making an estimated 1% to 5% of all breast cancer. Almost all cases are diagnosed in women. Because of the inflammatory breast cancer can grow and spread quickly, these cancers often spread to the lymph nodes around the breast, which means it is often at the local advanced stage when diagnosed.

For inflammatory breast cancer, survival rates vary, depending on the stage, tumor grade, the particular features of the cancer, and the treatment a woman receives. For phase III of the disease, the average survival rate is 57 months. For phase IV, 21 months.
Inflammatory Breast Cancer Prognosis

It is important to note that the new treatments are more advanced than the published statistics. Women who are diagnosed with inflammatory breast cancer at this time may have a higher survival rate than in the past because doctors now have a better understanding of how to treat inflammatory breast cancer.

It is also important to remember that the statistics on how many women who survive this type of cancer is estimated. These estimates are derived from data based on a woman with cancer in the United States each year. So, at your own risk may be different. Doctors couldn't say for sure how long any woman will live with inflammatory breast cancer. Learn more about the understanding of statistics.

Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is rare. It is different from other types of breast cancer symptoms, outlook, and treatment. Symptoms such as breast swelling, redness on the skin, and it pitting or wrinkles on the skin of the breast so that it looks and has a texture like orange peel. If you have any of these symptoms, it does not mean that you have an IBC, but you should see a doctor immediately.
See also: Inflammatory Breast Cancer Stories
What is inflammatory breast cancer?
Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) have some of the symptoms of inflammation such as swelling and redness. But the infection or injury does not cause symptoms or IBC. IBC symptoms caused by the cancer cells block the lymph vessels in the skin.

How inflammatory breast cancer are different from other types of breast cancer?
Inflammatory breast cancer is different from other types of breast cancer in a few key ways:
  • Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) does not look like a typical breast cancer, this often does not cause a lump in the breast, and it may not be visible on a mammogram. This makes it more difficult to diagnose.
  • IBC tend to occur in younger women (average age 52 versus 57 for the more common forms of breast cancer).
  • African American women seem to be at higher risk from IBC than white women.
  • IBC is more common among women who are overweight or obese.
  • IBC also tend to be more aggressive — it grows and spreads more quickly — from the more common type of breast cancer.
  • IBC always in local advanced stage when first diagnosed because breast cancer cells had grown into the skin. (This means at least stage IIIB).
  • In most cases, IBC has spread (metastasis) to distant parts of the body when it is diagnosed. This makes it more difficult to treat successfully.

What are the signs and symptoms of inflammatory breast cancer?
Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) led to a number of signs and symptoms, most of which are expanding rapidly and start at the same time, including:
  • Thickening (edema/swelling) of the skin of the breast
  • The redness that involve more than one-third of the breast
  • Breasts may become more difficult
  • Pitting or wrinkles on the skin of the breast so that it looks and has a texture like orange peel
  • Sometimes inverted nipples.
  • The swelling can make breasts appear larger than the other.
  • Breast felt warm and could feel the weight compared to the other breast.
  • The breast can also be tender and sore or itchy.
See also: Inflammatory Breast Cancer Stages
Pain, warmth, redness and itching is a common symptom of breast infection or inflammation, such as mastitis if you are pregnant or breastfeeding. Because this problem is much more common than IBC, your doctor may initially suspect infection as the cause and treat with antibiotics. This may be a good first step, but if symptoms do not improve in 7 to 10 days, further examination needs to be done to look for cancer. The possibility of the IBC must be considered stronger in women who have these symptoms and not be pregnant or breast-feeding or have undergone menopause.

IBC grows and spreads quickly, so that the cancer may have spread to nearby lymph nodes at the time of the symptoms seen. This deployment can cause swollen lymph nodes under the arm or above your collarbone. If diagnosis is delayed, the cancer can spread to the lymph nodes in your chest or to distant places in the body.

If you have any of these symptoms, it does not mean that you have an IBC, but you should see a doctor immediately. If treatment with antibiotics is started, you will need to let your doctor know if that doesn't help, especially if symptoms get worse or the affected area will be bigger. Ask to see a specialist (such as a breast surgeon) or maybe you want to get a second opinion if you are worried.

How inflammatory breast cancer diagnosed?
Imaging tests - If inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is suspected, one or more of the following Imaging tests may be done:
  • Mammogram
  • Breast ultrasound
  • MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scan
  • CT (computed tomography) scan
  • Pet (positron emission tomography) scan
  • Sometimes a breast photos taken to help take down the amount of redness and swelling before starting treatment.

Biopsy
Breast cancer diagnosed by biopsy, taking a small piece of breast tissue and look at it under a microscope. Physical examination and other tests may indicate the findings of the "suspicious" IBC, but only a biopsy can tell with certainty that cancer is present.

Tests on the biopsy sample
The cancer cells in the biopsy sample will be judged on how they look abnormal. They will also be tested for specific protein-protein that helps determine the treatment that will help.

Cells were tested for hormone receptors. Women and breast cancer cells containing the hormone receptors are likely to benefit from treatment with hormone therapy drugs. Cancer cells also tested to see if they contain too much of a protein called HER2/neu (often simply called HER2) or too many copies of the gene for the protein. If they do, women can be helped by medications that target HER2.

Stages of inflammatory breast cancer
Inflammatory breast cancer that has spread beyond the breast and nearby lymph nodes are stage IV. All stage III inflammatory breast cancer. If the cancer has spread to lymph nodes around the collarbone or in the chest, it was stage IIIC. If not, it's a phase IIIB.

The survival rate for inflammatory breast cancer
Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is an aggressive cancer because it grows quickly, is more likely to have sleep at the time it was found, and are more likely to come back after treatment than most other types of breast cancer. The Outlook is generally not as good as it is for most other types of breast cancer.

The survival rate is often based on the results of his action before large numbers of people who have the disease, but they can not predict what will happen in case of a particular person. Many other factors that can affect a person's outlook, such as age, general health, treatment received, and how well the cancer responds to treatment. Your doctor can tell you how the numbers below may apply to you, because he is familiar with your situation.

These survival rates are based on the ones who was diagnosed years ago. Improvements in treatment since then may result in more favorable prospects for people who are now being diagnosed with inflammatory breast cancer. These figures are based on data from the National Cancer Institute's surveillance, Epidemiology, and end results (SIER) database, for patients diagnosed with inflammatory breast cancer between 1990 and 2008.

The average survival is length of time for half of the patients in the group who have died. By definition, half of the patients in the Group were still alive. It is important to remember that the median is one type of average used by researchers. There is nothing "average" and many people who have a much better result than the average. Also, people with inflammatory breast cancer may die of other things, and these numbers do not take into account that.
  • The average survival rates for men with stage III inflammatory breast cancer is around 57 months.
  • The average survival rate for people with inflammatory breast cancer stage IV about 21 months.
See also: What Does Estrogen Receptor Positive Mean
How inflammatory breast cancer be treated?
Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) that has not spread beyond the breast or lymph nodes nearby is stadium IIIB or IIIC. In most cases, the treatment of chemotherapy to try to shrink the tumor, followed by surgery to remove the cancer. Radiation is given after surgery, and, in some cases, more chemotherapy can be given after radiation. IBC which has spread to other parts of the body (stage IV) treated with chemotherapy, hormonal therapy, and/or with drugs that target HER2.

What's new in the inflammatory breast cancer research?
Studies that compare the DNA and other molecules of the IBC with the usual type of breast cancer has shown some important differences. Scientists believe that some of these differences are a unique and aggressive account in ways that IBC spreads and grows. There is hope that understanding these differences will lead to better treatments that target certain cells change to IBC.