Inflammatory breast cancer, or IBC, is a type of breast cancer that is very different than what is typically thought of with the disease. There may not be a lump with IBC. Instead, there may be a warmness to the breast when you touch it, breast swelling or redness, itching on the breast or thickening of the breast skin. To treat IBC most effectively, more than one kind of treatment is usually used.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy involves the use of drugs to kill cancer cells, and according to the National Cancer Institute, it is often the first line of treatment for IBC. Chemotherapy is a systemic treatment, which means it travels through the bloodstream and can kill cancer cells throughout the body, and not only in the breast area. Given before surgery, it is called neoadjuvant chemotherapy, which can be used to control the cancer prior to surgery. Common chemotherapy drugs used to treat IBC include doxorubicin, epirubicin, paclitaxel and docetaxel.
Surgery
According to the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, mastectomy is the recommended surgery in order to remove the entire cancerous area. Lymph nodes under the arm, called axillary lymph nodes, are usually found to have cancer in them and are also biopsied and removed during surgery.
Radiation Therapy
Radiation therapy uses high energy rays aimed at the cancerous area to stop cancer cell growth and kill cancer cells. For IBC, this treatment is typically used after chemotherapy and surgery. Radiation is primarily aimed at the lymph nodes and the chest wall to kill any possible remaining cancer cells and prevent recurrence. Radiation therapy may also be used with women who cannot have surgery or for relief of painful symptoms.
Hormone Therapy and Targeted Therapy
Some women with IBC whose cancer is estrogen-receptor positive or overexpresses the HER-2/neu protein are given hormone therapy like Tamoxifen or targeted therapy like Herceptin to slow down cancer growth or to reduce the risk of recurrence. The type of hormone therapy or targeted therapy can vary, depending on the specific case, but most women are on these kinds of medications for five years once they start treatment with the drugs.
