Helpful info about IBC (Inflammatory Breast Cancer)

busywithfive

In the past 6 weeks I have been doing a lot of research about IBC. While there is a lot of info out there, I'm finding some sources are more accurate than others. Like all of us, I want accuarte info. So, I started reading a lot from text books and medical journals (as well as reading a lot on this site). BTW, I called the Fox Chase Cancer Center for info also. They directed me to breastcancer.org. The ladies on here are amazing! You have helped me so much! Keep up the good work. Anyway, in my search, I found the following which helped me. It was written by a panel of 15 international experts on IBC, including Massimo Cristofanilli. This is the diagnositic criteria for IBC from the Oxford Journals:

The panel agrees that the minimum criteria required for the diagnosis of IBC include the following:

• History of rapid onset of breast erythema, edema and/or peau d'orange, and/or warm breast, with or without an underlying palpable mass.

• History of flattening, crusting, or retraction of the nipple may be present.

• Patients may have a history of being diagnosed with mastitis not responding to at least 1 week of antibiotics.

• Duration of history of no more than 6 months.

• Clinical examination revealing erythema (redness) occupying at least one-third of the breast.

• Clinical examination may reveal underlying palpable mass with or without palpable locoregional lymph nodes with or without nipple abnormalities.

• Pathological confirmation of invasive carcinoma from a core biopsy of the breast.

• Recommendation to obtain adequate skin punch biopsy to possibly document dermal lymphovascular tumor emboli (see below).

  
  I don't know if this will help anyone else sort out which symptoms are always present vs which symptoms can be present, but it helped me. Good luck to anyone else having symptoms of IBC. Praying that your results are all benign!!