Inflammatory Breast Cancer Symptoms
- inverted nipple
- orange peel-like appearance on or around the breast or dimpling of the skin
- breast that is warm to the touch
- breast that is itchy
- painful or sore breast
- sudden increase in breast size
- change in color of breast; darker, red or bruised
- nipple discharge
Mastitis and Inflammatory Breast Cancer Symptoms
Unfortunately, the symptoms of inflammatory breast cancer are similar to the symptoms of mastitis, a breast infection that is most common in breastfeeding women. Fever and a high white blood cell count are typical with mastitis -- two characteristics that aren't tell-tale signs of inflammatory breast cancer.If you are being treated for mastitis and are not responding to antibiotics after 7 to 10 days, you should consider talking to your doctor about ruling out other conditions and screening for inflammatory breast cancer.
What to Do If You Have the Symptoms of Inflammatory Breast Cancer
You should know that inflammatory breast cancer may not be detected during ultrasonography or mammographic screening. If you are experiencing the symptoms of inflammatory breast cancer, tell your doctor right away. Just because a recent mammogram did not find any abnormalities does not mean that cancer is not present.Keep in mind that inflammatory breast cancer is rare, accounting for about 1% to 3% of all cases of breast cancer. It is an aggressive type of breast cancer so do not hesitate in contacting your healthcare provide if you have any of the above symptoms. The symptoms of inflammatory breast cancer are much more related to less serious conditions, like infections, but it is vital to get a timely evaluation by your doctor.
