Inflammatory breast cancer grows rapidly — changes can become apparent in a matter of days to weeks. Unlike other types of breast cancer, you probably won't develop a distinct lump. Instead, you might notice an area of thickness or a feeling of heaviness in one of your breasts. Inflammatory breast cancer tends to develop as a sheet rather than a lump or tumor. Signs and symptoms of inflammatory breast cancer include:
- A breast that appears red, purple, pink or bruised
- A tender, firm and enlarged breast
- A warm feeling in the breast
- Itching of the breast
- Pain
- Ridged or dimpled skin texture, similar to an orange peel
- Thickened areas of skin
- Enlarged lymph nodes under the arm, above the collarbone or below the collarbone
- Flattening or retraction of the nipple
- Swollen or crusted skin on the nipple
- Change in color of the skin around the nipple (areola)
It's easy to confuse the signs and symptoms of inflammatory breast cancer with those of a breast infection (mastitis). Breast infections occur most often in younger women who are breast-feeding. Breast infections cause a fever, and they're easily treated with antibiotics. On the contrary, inflammatory breast cancer doesn't typically cause a fever, nor does it respond to antibiotics.
In some cases, redness, warmth and swelling of the breast are caused by a previous operation or radiation therapy that involved the outer breast or underarm. These procedures can cause partial blockage of lymphatic drainage, producing breast swelling (edema) and redness. This, again, is not inflammatory breast cancer.
Signs and Symptoms of Inflammatory Breast Cancer
