INFLAMMATORY BREAST CANCER

• Relatively uncommon aggressive form of invasive breast cancer
• Enlarged breast within short onset
• Indurated, erythematous, warm, and may be tender/painful (not always)
  • “Peau d’orange” appearance
• Mimics mastitis clinically
• Unilateral axillary lymphadenopathy in ~50% of cases
• Path: Dermal lymphatic invasion of tumor cells
• T4 disease (TNM staging)
• Diffuse skin thickening on mammo/US/MRI
• MRI: mass or multiple (73%) – typically small and confluent
• Tx: Chemotherapy first, then typically mastectomy and radiation

Related Radiology Article: Yeh ED, Jacene HA, Bellon JR, Nakhlis F, Birdwell RL, Georgian-Smith D, Giess CS, Hirshfield-Bartek J, Overmoyer B, Van den Abbeele AD. What radiologists need to know about diagnosis and treatment of inflammatory breast cancer: a multidisciplinary approach. Radiographics. 2013 Nov;33(7):2003-17.