Thermography is especially helpful in detecting Inflammatory Breast Disease (IBC). It is rare, but the most aggressive form of breast cancer and has a faster doubling time than other breast cancers.
Symptoms Include: Breast swelling, purple or red color of the skin, and dimpling or thickening of the skin of the breast so that it may look and feel like an orange peel.
Often you may not feel a lump so if you have any of the symptoms listed above, see your doctor right away.
How is inflammatory breast cancer different from other types of cancer?
Inflammatory breast cancer differs (IBC) from other types of breast cancer in several ways:
IBC doesn't look like a typical breast cancer. It often does not cause a breast lump, and it might not show up on a mammogram. This makes it harder to diagnose.
IBC tends to occur in younger women (younger than 40 years of age).
African-American women appear to develop IBC more often than white women.
IBC is more common among women who are overweight or obese.
IBC also tends to be more aggressive—it grows and spreads much more quickly—than more common types of breast cancer.
IBC is always at a locally advanced stage when it’s first diagnosed because the breast cancer cells have grown into the skin. (This means it is at least stage III.)In about 1 of every 3 cases, IBC has already spread (metastasized) to distant parts of the body when it is diagnosed. This makes it harder to treat successfully.
Women with IBC tend to have a worse prognosis (outcome) than women with other common types of breast cancer.
Signs and symptoms of inflammatory breast cancer
Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) causes a number of signs and symptoms, most of which develop quickly (within 3-6 months), including:
Swelling (edema) of the skin of the breast.
Redness involving more than one-third of the breast.
Pitting or thickening of the skin of the breast so that it may look and feel like an orange peel.
A retracted or inverted nipple.
One breast looking larger than the other because of swelling.
One breast feeling warmer and heavier than the other.
A breast that may be tender, painful or itchy.
Swelling of the lymph nodes under the arms or near the collarbone.
Biopsy
Breast cancer is diagnosed by a biopsy, taking a small piece of the breast tissue and looking at it in the lab. Your physical exam and other tests may show findings that are "suspicious for" IBC, but only a biopsy can tell for sure that it is cancer.
Consider Thermal Imaging as part of your breast screening protocol. Early detection really does save lives.
Learn more about thermography at: https://www.idahobreasthealth.com
Source: American Cancer Society