IBC, Inflammatory Breast Cancer is not like other kinds of breast cancer. It is insidious and often extremely difficult to diagnose. There is rarely a tumor associated with IBC, rather the cancer may not be diagnosed until it has become metastasized. In addition, a regular mammogram often does not provide the clues to identify it. In many cases an Inflammatory Breast Cancer prognosis can be difficult to pinpoint.

IBC is considered a Stage IIIB breast cancer and, when diagnosed, is treated aggressively. This cancer has some physical characteristics that will most likely be noticed by the patient before it is noticed by other people. This cancer causes an higher flow of blood, build-up of white cells, and blocked lymph vessels by cancer cells. This causes redness, warmth, and swelling in the affected breast.

This type of cancer is one of the most deadly types of cancer because it invades vessels in the skin. In some cases, mammograms can show denseness that can be identified if the mammogram is compared to the mammogram of the previous year. This type of cancer is very rare but occurs more often in women around the age of 50 and grow much more aggressively than other cancers. In addition, it has been found that African-American women seem to develop this cancer more than other ethnicities.

The prognosis of for IBC varies greatly on how soon the disease is diagnosed and treatment begins. Of the women diagnosed with IBC and treated aggressively, about half survive five or more years, and nearly one-third are alive 20 years after diagnosis.This average is based on the number of women who have been diagnosed with the disease. However, if caught early the prognosis rises significantly.

The risk of recurrence of IBC is higher within 3 years after treatment. Doctors follow their patients very carefully with regular testing and examination to make sure no reoccurrence or metatasizing occurs after treatment has been completed. Radical treatment including chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation dramatically increases survival rates for women diagnosed early with IBC.

Physicians monitor their patients carefully after treatment. The likelihood for reoccurrence is very high during the first three years after being treated. After an aggressive treatment program of chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation treatments, the physician will follow-up on a regular basis to make sure there is no reoccurrence. For several years, IBC was thought to be so rare that it was not aggressively studied. However, in the last few years, it has been included in cancers of the breast that are being studied and great strides have been made in positive prognosis after treatment.

Early diagnosis and treatment are very important. Statistics for prognosis should not impact a woman’s decision to be tested and treated for this cancer. The early that diagnosis and treatment begin, the greater the rate of survival will be. It is important to remember that people respond differently to treatments for any type of cancer and by working closely with your medical professionals and creating a plan, the inflammatory breast cancer prognosis will be more positive.

Meeting with treatment professionals is very important to get the information and details about treatment options available and which steps need to be taken to assure that the IBC is addressed quickly and effectively. The steps that are taken will require persistence, determination, and a positive attitude. Having a network that includes breast cancer survivors will be helpful when collecting the information that you will need to increase your success with inflammatory breast cancer prognosis.

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