Inflammatory Breast Cancer (IBC): look for more than a lump.

Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is the most aggressive form of breast cancer. Women and even men with an IBC diagnosis have a higher mortality rate than those with other types of breast cancer. Therefore, it is important that IBC is diagnosed rapidly and accurately in order for treatment to have a significant effect. IBC does not present the same way in every case. It is imperative that individuals and practitioners not dismiss any abnormal female or male breast symptom(s).



One or more of the following are typical symptom(s) of IBC:

• Swelling,which may come suddenly, sometimes a cup size in a few days
• Itching
• Pink, red, or dark colored area (called erythema) sometimes with texture similar to the skin of an orange (called peau d’orange)
• Ridges and thickened areas of the skin
• Nipple retraction
• Nipple discharge, may or may not be bloody
• Breast is warm to the touch and radiates heat
• Breast pain (from a constant ache to stabbing pains)
• Change in color and texture of the areola

You don’t have to have a lump to have breast cancer. It is importatant that individuals seek various interpretations of their mammograms and/or ultrasounds. Inflammatory breast cancer can grow in nests or sheets, rather than a solid tumor. Most often, IBC is not visible in either mammography or ultrasonography.

For more information: Inflammatory Breast Cancer Research Foundation http://www.ibcresearch.org
Photo: Inflammatory Breast Cancer Research Foundation

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Levine PH, Steinhorn SC, Ries LG, Levine AJ: Inflammatory breast cancer: The experience of the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program. J Natl Cancer Inst 1985;74:291-297.

Chang, S., Parker, S. L., Pham, T., Buzdar, A., and Hursting, S. D. Trends and patterns of inflammatory breast cancer: The experience of the National Cancer Institute’s SEER Program from 1975 to 1992. Cancer 82(12), 2366-2372. 1998.

Its Your Wake Up Call.

Do you know only a drug can provide a cure to a disease, according to the Food and Drug Administration of this country?

No natural herbs, home remedies or vitamins can help your health, according to our government. It is fixated on keeping us sick and begging for quick solutions compared to long-term care. How many people think aspirin actually takes pain away? It does not. It simply blocks the pain receptors to the brain. This is a temporary fix and not a solution for what could really be aching you (no pun intended).

No one else will stand up for you in the examination room. Most doctors have quotas to meet; kickbacks from major pharmaceutical companies to collect and only your voice stands in the way. They speak that they know the human body; but they don't know your body.

A colleague, 24 years of age, was given a prescription for her high blood pressure. We won't include the name of the drug here, but after careful research through places such as WebMD and Wikipedia, we learned that this drug lowered blood pressure by weakening the heart so it pumped slower, thus de-pressurizing the flow of blood. After years and years of this drug, said colleague could easily develop more heart problems on account of this drug and is denying her heart of working at its capacity and potential. Luckily, our colleague stopped taking this drug only two months in.

So next time you're in the doctor's office and they're ready to write you a prescription, take a moment to look at yourself and think about what you are paying to put into your body. Advocate for yourself and do your own research. Research what they want to give you before swallowing it on a whim. Its your life, its your body and no one can take that away from you!!