Inflammatory Breast Cancer is very rare, but very aggressive.
I am alive today because my doctors had an icon on their desktop to remind them to be alert to IBC. Unfortunately, the incidence of this aggressive breast cancer is increasing in the United States.
You don't have to have a lump to have breast cancer.
Most of what we are taught about breast cancer does not apply to Inflammatory Breast Cancer. It does not make a lump. It nests inside dense breast tissue and does not typically show up on a mammogram. We are taught that breast cancer doesn't hurt, but Inflammatory Breast Cancer usually does. A heavy, swollen breast that feels warm and sore could be IBC. Many Inflammatory Breast Cancer cases are missed because the symptoms are mistaken for mastitis. Know all the symptoms of IBC, and if you have even one, make sure your doctor screens for Inflammatory Breast Cancer.
Inflammatory Breast Cancer strikes women and men of all ages, most often younger women.
The median age for an IBC diagnosis is between 45 and 55. It has been diagnosed in men and in pregnant and lactating women. The youngest woman on record to be diagnosed with the disease was 12. It is vitally important for parents to encourage our sons and daughters to be aware of their bodies, and to talk to us if anything seems amiss. It is never too early to teach our children to take care of themselves.
Inaccurate diagnosis results in lethal treatment delays.
Inflammatory Breast Cancer spreads quickly, because unlike other breast cancers is originates in the lymph tissue. Lactating women often assume that their symptoms are mastitis, and miss the opportunity to fight the disease before it spreads. Inflammatory Breast Cancer is always diagnosed at Stage III or Stage IV, because by the time it shows symptoms it has progressed. Timely diagnosis and treatment is key to survival.
You don't need to be frightened, just aware. Knowledge is power.
Know your body, know your breasts, and teach your children to do the same. If you go to the hospital with chest pain, a responsible doctor will screen for a cardiac event. If you notice anything unusual happening to your breast, make sure that Inflammatory Breast Cancer is ruled out.
Share this information with every woman you know. You may save a life. I personally know of more than one Inflammatory Breast Cancer survivor who is alive today because someone in her life was aware.
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