Learning How To Save More Women’s Lives (NAPSA)—More women are learning the facts about diagnosing a potentially fatal kind of breast cancer that even a mammo- gram can miss. More than 200,000 newcases of breast cancer are diagnosed in the U.S. each year, and about 6 percent of all invasive breast cancer cases involve a condition called inflammatory breast cancer (IBC). IBC is the most aggressive form of breast cancer and often goes undiagnosed since it may not present as a lump or mass and isn’t usually detected by mammogramsor ultrasounds. IBC is seldom detected by patients, often misdiagnosed by doctors and misunderstood by researchers. Recognizing Symptoms Often misdiagnosed as an infec- tion or skin irritation, IBC may first appear as a rash on the breast and is sometimes ineffectively treated with antibiotics and antifungal medication. By recognizing these symptomsearly, there is a greater chance for accurate diagnosis, treatment and better outcomes: One breast rapidly becomes larger than the other *Breast has a rash, redness or blotchiness *Breast and/or nipple persistently itches *Lumpor thickening of breast tissue Sharp pain and/or soreness of breast * Breast is warm to the touch or feverish Swelling of lymph nodes under the arm or abovethecollarbone *Dimpling of the breast that may look like the skin of an orange *Flattening or retracting of nipple Color of the areola (the dark Inflammatory breast cancer is not usually detected by mammograms or ultrasound, but MRI technology can be a betteralternative for accurately diagnosing the disease before it progresses. skin around the nipple) changes. Contact your doctor immediately if you detect any of these symptoms. MRIfor Accurate Diagnosis Recent studies suggest that the use of magnetic resonance imag- ing (MRI) technology, such as the Vantage” MRI system from Toshiba America Medical Sys- tems, Inc., can more accurately identify the disease before it progresses. An MRI scan uses magnetism, radio waves and a com- puter to detect biological changes and shifts in the soft breast tissue—versus ultrasound or mammogram, which look for changes in density, like a lumpor fibrous mass, or hardtissue. Treatment Options IBC requires immediate, aggressive treatment and often consists of multiple rounds of chemotherapy, hormone therapy or both. Your physician can provide more information about sources of help, screening options and support.
