Like many people, Caroline McGuirk knew that lumps can be a symptom of breast cancer, even if most of them end up being noncancerous. What she wasn’t aware of is that the redness and swelling she had noticed in her right breast months before finding two lumps there can be indicators of inflammatory breast cancer … Read more
Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is a rare, very aggressive form of breast cancer that occurs when cancer cells block the flow of lymph in the skin of the breast. This causes the breast to swell and become red or purplish, often in a short period of time such as a few weeks. IBC accounts for … Read more
As a nurse, Nadege Vilnaigre has devoted her professional life to helping those facing serious medical challenges. Her determination to stay on the job hasn’t waned — even in the face of her own experience with cancer. Vilnaigre is being treated at Dana-Farber for inflammatory breast cancer, which she was diagnosed with in September 2019. … Read more
Scientists are making headway in understanding the basic biological mechanisms at work in inflammatory breast cancer (IBC)—and how to intervene in ways that may slow or stop the cancer.
Love and commitment have enabled Lynda and Ellen Thomas to get through Lynda’s diagnosis and treatment for inflammatory breast cancer (IBC).
Not only are more effective drugs for breast cancer coming to the clinic, but oncologists are making important progress in matching breast cancer treatment to specific patients and the molecular characteristics of their tumors. It’s also becoming more feasible to rachet the intensity of treatment up or down depending on the patient’s risk status, and … Read more
When Trish Vickery learned in 2013 that she had inflammatory breast cancer, she knew all too well the gravity of her diagnosis. Her mother had died from the disease. Yet Vickery is living a full and energetic life — working, traveling, exercising, rowing on the Charles River in Boston, and spending time with her husband … Read more
By Filipa Lynce, MD Inflammatory breast cancer is a rare but aggressive form of breast cancer that affects young women more than older women. Because it’s relatively uncommon — it represents less than five percent of all breast cancer cases — people are often confused about what inflammatory breast cancer is and how you can … Read more