Inflammatory breast cancer: Why is treatment so challenging?

Why is inflammatory breast cancer so difficult to treat?

- Rita / Arizona

Answer

Inflammatory breast cancer presents several unique treatment challenges. The symptoms of inflammatory breast cancer — which include redness and thickening of the breast — differ from those of typical, non-inflammatory breast cancer. Many women with inflammatory breast cancer do not have an associated breast lump, which can make the disease more difficult to detect.

In addition, the symptoms of inflammatory breast cancer can often be mistaken for a much more common, noncancerous breast condition called mastitis. If the diagnosis of inflammatory breast cancer is delayed, the cancer has more time to spread.

Another challenge is that inflammatory breast cancer is a much more aggressive cancer in younger women than other types of breast cancer. Inflammatory breast cancer is also more likely to spread (metastasize) to the lymph nodes or other parts of the body before it is detected.

In some cases, surgery to remove the cancer must be delayed until after chemotherapy. The reason the breast becomes red and swollen is that the cancer cells clog the lymph channels in the skin, which causes fluid to back up into the breast. This swelling can delay surgery because it prevents surgical incision from healing properly. Chemotherapy is often used to kill these cancer cells and relieve swelling so surgery can be performed.

Because of the aggressive nature of this cancer, treatment often includes a combination of chemotherapy, radiation, surgery, hormone therapy and trastuzumab (Herceptin) — all of which have their own potential complications and risks. The key to successful treatment of inflammatory breast cancer is early detection and prompt treatment.

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