No-lump breast cancer is invasive and highly
aggressive form of cancer. Good news, though it is rare.
Inflammatory Breast Cancer does not produce a lump
so it can go unnoticed; in fact, it can pass simply as inflammation of
the breast, which the doctor may initially prescribe antibiotics for.
However, unlike ordinary breast infection that also causes swelling of
the breast, Inflammatory Breast Cancer will not respond favorably to
antibiotics. It is a form of breast cancer that spreads rapidly; unless
detected earlier, survival is very slim.
Suzanne G. Beaver of Camarillo, 47, dismissed her
engorged breasts as pre-menstrual syndrome and just got busier at work
hoping that her condition would improve. Three weeks later, she was
told she had inflammatory breast cancer.
Dr. Tim Moynihan, a cancer specialist at the Mayo
Clinic, cited in one of his published articles the typical danger signs
of inflammatory breast cancer:
1. The breast can become engorged and tender.
2. Inflammatory Breast Cancer causes the breast to appear red, enlarged
and feel warm
to the touch.
3. There is an absence of a lump, but the entire breast would swell.
Mastitis is a breast disease that causes
inflammation of the breast and is often accompanied by fever. At the
onset, inflammatory breast cancer has the symptoms similar to mastitis
that it can be easily considered as such, but unlike mastitis that
responds quickly to medication, inflammatory breast cancer is very
rarely accompanied by fever and antibiotic treatment may not help.
How bad can it get?
The course of treatment between the common type of
breast cancer and the inflammatory type differs. For one, chemotherapy
may be started right away among patients suffering from inflammatory
breast cancer, prior to removing the diseased breast. This is to allow
the skin of the breast to heal first before the operation. With
inflammatory type of breast cancer, the skin surrounding the breast can
become red and swollen; this makes it difficult for doctors to operate
on the breast.
Mastectomy does not guarantee cancer will not
recur among women suffering from the inflammatory type. This is
primarily the reason why there is a need to put the patient on
radiation therapy even if mastectomy has already been performed on the
breast. Incidence of recurrence can be high due to the condition of the
skin on the breast region.
At the first sign of a rash or inflammation on the
local region of the breast, you should take a closer look. The problem
may not be as simple as you think!
Sometimes, it is better to worry a bit (without
becoming paranoid), than be sorry about it.
Article Source: http://
www.articlesbase.com/womens-health-articles/nolump-breast-cancer-
silent-killer-on-the-loose-599675.html About the Author
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