Inflammatory Breast Cancer


  • If I have a mastectomy, can I opt to have breast reconstruction at the time of surgery or at a later date?
  • What sort of follow-up care will I have once I finish treatment?
  • If I choose to end treatment at some point, will you support me?

    • Because inflammatory breast cancer often spreads quickly, your doctor may recommend tests to see whether your cancer has spread beyond the area of the breast. These may include a bone scan, chest X-ray, abdominal ultrasound or other tests. Most patients do not have detectable disease beyond the breast and underarm at diagnosis, but in those cases where there is metastasis, treatment may differ, so it can be important to check.

    Your doctor may also order tests to check your general level of health before beginning treatment or to test your eligibility for a clinical trial, or to monitor your tolerance of the treatment. You should feel free to ask what any test is for, and to refuse it if you aren't comfortable with the answer.

    Some of what you read in books and journals can be discouraging, but there has been a real improvement in survival rates for inflammatory breast cancer with the introduction of the use of chemotherapy before surgery, and current clinical trials may increase them even more.
    The most common course of treatment for inflammatory breast cancer is chemotherapy, mastectomy, possibly more chemotherapy, then radiation. Hormonal therapy may be advised for five years following other treatment, especially if the tumour is responsive to estrogen levels. The drugs used vary widely, since different drugs are approved for use in different countries and research into optimal combinations and dosages is ongoing. If you join a clinical trial, you may be given experimental drugs which have been proven safe and effective, but are being compared to standard treatments. If your doctor recommends treatment outside a trial setting which is very different from the norm, ask why, and what advantage he or she sees in the recommended course.

    Whatever course your disease and treatment take, try to stay positive. The period right after diagnosis is almost always the worst, so things will probably be easier once a treatment plan is in place. There is growing evidence that looking after your emotional health will help you to fight disease, and even if it doesn't, it will make each day a bit more pleasant.

    For more information, please visit: IBC Research Foundation

    The copyright of the article Inflammatory Breast Cancer in Breast Cancer is owned by Bobbi Jones. Permission to republish Inflammatory Breast Cancer in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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