Most Women Unaware of Signs of Aggressive Breast Cancer Form, Says Study

Women should be aware of the breast cancer, and breast self-exams are very important. 50% of inflammatory breast cancers are diagnosed as stage 4 disease.

Inflammatory breast cancer is especially deadly because it often goes undetected due to the lack of symptoms that women usually experience.

The survey, which was conducted online among 1,100 US women ages 18 and older, revealed that while 4 in 5 women (78 percent) recognize a lump in the breast as a sign of breast cancer.

What is Inflammatory Breast Cancer

Less than half of women would flag redness of the breast (44 percent), pitting/thickening of the skin (44 percent), or one breast feeling warmer or heavier than the other (34 percent) as possible symptoms of breast cancer; specifically, the rare and highly aggressive form of the disease known as inflammatory breast cancer.

Inflammatory Breast Cancer - Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis, Treatment & Prognosis
One of the rare breast cancers, inflammatory breast cancer is marked by redness, swelling and warmth of the breast skin looking like an orange peel.

‘Although inflammatory breast cancer only represents 1 percent to 5 percent of all breast cancers in the United States, it is a sneaky disease and challenging to diagnose. ’

The disease can occur in any part of the breast and in any molecular sub-form of the disease. It is often misdiagnosed because it mimics symptoms similar to a breast infection.

Those signs include an orange peel-like texture or dimpling of skin; feeling of heaviness; tightening of the skin; engorgement of the breast; and infection-like redness.

Park noted that even in the medical community, physicians and providers are not accustomed to thinking about a red breast as a sign associated with inflammatory breast cancer because it is such a rare disease.

Quiz on Breast Cancer
Breast cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer deaths among women. It is often said that a woman who breast-feeds is at a lower risk of developing cancer compared to another who does not .Are these mere old wives tales or is there some truth in it? This quiz on breast cancer has all the details.

"It is critical that clinicians have a high level of familiarity with its subtle signs and be prepared to take immediate action to avoid belated diagnosis," Park added.

Source-IANS

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