What is Inflammatory Breast Cancer (IBC)?

Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is a rare but highly aggressive disease. It accounts for only one to five percent of all breast cancer cases, but develops and progresses rapidly, often in several weeks or months. In IBC, cancer cells can clog the lymph vessels in the skin, causing a buildup of lymph fluid in the breast. This causes swelling, redness, and a dimpled texture on the affected breast, rather than a mass or lump. These symptoms make the disease hard to diagnose, since they may not show up on a mammogram and could be mistaken for other conditions. The advanced stage and aggressive nature of IBC also make it difficult to treat. Doctors usually take a multimodal approach to treating the disease, combining multiple treatments and procedures to increase the likelihood of the patient responding to treatment.