Inflammatory Breast Cancer

Inflammatory breast cancer is a relatively rare but very serious, aggressive type of breast cancer. According to the National Cancer Institute (NCI), 1% to 5% of breast cancer cases in the United States are inflammatory breast cancer.

The symptoms of inflammatory breast cancer can include:

• Redness of the breast. The most distinguishing feature of inflammatory breast cancer is redness involving part of or the whole breast. Sometimes the redness comes and goes.
• Swelling of the breast. Part of or all of the breast may be swollen, enlarged, and hard.
• Warmth. The breast may feel warm.
• Orange-peel appearance. In some people, the breast can swell and start to look like the peel of a navel orange (this is called "peau d'orange").
• Other skin changes. The skin of the breast might look pink or bruised, or you may have what looks like ridges, welts, or hives on your breast.
• Swelling of lymph nodes. The lymph nodes under the arm or above the collarbone may be swollen.
• Flattening or inversion of the nipple. The nipple may go flat or turn inward.

About 50% of women with inflammatory breast cancer have a lump or a mass in their breast, but it may be difficult to feel since the breast is often bigger and harder than normal.

Inflammatory breast cancer is usually categorized as stage IIIB breast cancer because of the possible involvement of the skin, chest wall, or lymph nodes along the breast bone inside the chest wall. If the cancer has spread to other organs, such as the bones, lungs, liver, brain, or to the lymph nodes in the neck, it is categorized as stage IV.