Inflammatory Breast Cancer
Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is a rare presentation of locally advanced breast cancer. Although the incidence is 1% to 3%, IBC has a disproportionally dismal prognosis with a 5-year survival rate of 41% overall in the United States. IBC is a clinical diagnosis characterized by the hallmark presentation of skin edema, erythema, and peau d’orange. However, the diagnostic criteria includes erythema/edema that covers at least one-third of the breast and is acute in onset (within 6 months). It lacks unique histologic subtypes, molecular markers, and/or genetic signatures. Pathologically, IBC is defined by extensive tumor involvement and tumor emboli in dermal lymphatics, causing the quintessential skin findings. Radiologically, IBC lacks a central tumor in 50% of patients. At the time of diagnosis, 85% of patients have regional lymph node disease, and 30% have distant metastases. Even with the adjunct of chemotherapy and radiation, survival rates remain dismal.
