What_Is_Inflamatory_Breast_Cancer

What is Inflammatory Breast Cancer' Jasmin Hernandez Olympic College Author Note This paper was prepared for English 99, 3325 taught by Professor Richardson Abstract Inflammatory breast cancer is rare and spreads aggressively. The 5 year cancer survival rate after doing chemotherapy, surgery and radiation therapy is still really short of between 24 and 49 percent survival rate. For Stage 4, the 5 year survival rate is only 11 percent. What is Inflammatory Breast Cancer I choose to write my paper on Inflammatory Breast Cancer because my mother was recently diagnosed with IBC on the end of March 2013. While doing the research for this paper I found out a lot of stuff that I really didn’t want to hear. In the long run though I am happy that I know what is going on and what can happen. Inflammatory breast cancer, also called IBC, is a rare locally advanced form that is very aggressive. .It happens when the cancer cells block the lymphatic vessels that are in the skin that covers the breast. IBC can rapidly spread to the other body parts. By the time it is finally diagnosed, due to misdiagnosing as an infection, the cancer has most likely already reached Stage III or Stage IV. It can advance in the matter of weeks or even months. There are several different symptoms of IBC, the main one is swelling, redness and fluid buildup, in the skin, that covers one third or more of the breast. Discoloration is also very possible; pink, reddish purple, or it can even look bruised. You can also develop what is known as peau d’orange, where the breast has characteristics that look like the skin of an orange. As the cancer spreads to more of your body the lymph nodes under your arm, near the collarbone or both can start swelling If you have shown that these symptoms have come on quickly and they have been there for less than 6 months the doctors will then perform a biopsy. A biopsy is where they take a small portion of the affected tissue and some from the area around it to test for cancerous cells. If the results come back positive for invasive carcinoma they will order more test to be done. First they would perform a diagnostic mammogram and ultrasound. Then they would order a PET or CT scan and bone scan to see if any other parts of the body or organs have been affected. There is now genetic testing you can have done to help you know early if you are going to develop breast cancer. The test looks for BRCA1 and BRCA2. Inherited BRCA gene mutations are responsible for about 5 percent of breast cancers. (Mayo Clinic, n.d.) In order to treat IBC first you go on systemic chemotherapy, followed by surgery to remove the tumor, then radiation therapy. This is referred to as the multimodal approach. Studies have shown that women treated in this manner respond better to the treatment and also have a better survival rate. First you are given around six cycles of neoadjuvant chemotherapy within 4 to 6 months before moving on to the surgery, unless the doctors feel that it spread too fast and you can’t wait for the surgery any longer. That is when they go in and perform a modified radical mastectomy, removal of the breast and any other affected surrounding area. Then you will receive the radiation therapy to make sure that the cells have been killed. Women who only received one of the three treatments had less than a 5 year survival rate. The survival range being cancer free after receiving the multimodal treatment from 24 to 49 percent. According to the NCI’s surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program the 5 year survival rate from 1988 to 2001 was 34 percent. We still do not know what causes this form of breast cancer (National Cancer Institute, 2012). In order for all of us to try not to be to overly stressed from the whole situation, we try to keep ourselves as busy as possible. Even though the doctors are only giving her 6 months to a year maximum left to live, we are trying to stay positive. She has told all the doctors that she is not going anywhere because she still has kids to watch get married and grandbabies to watch grow up and spoil. You never know she could prove the doctors wrong and live well into her 90’s. She always has been very stubborn. Just on the chance she does not make it through this, we have already started making the arrangements. Making sure that she has made all her wishes clear to us. My little sister and I are trying to help her out as much as we possibly can. My sister tries to help her keep the house clean and transports her to and from appointment. I am the one that arranges the doctor appointments, request any prior doctor notes and test result for the new appointments and anything else she needs. Due to all of the research I have done my family has decided that it would be a very good idea for all of the girls get the genetic screening done. On May 14, 2013, my mother is going in to have surgery to remove her left breast, a lot of the chest muscle and lymph nodes under her armpit. I am hoping that everything will go well. References Mayo Clinic. (n.d.). BRCA gene test for breast cancer. Retrieved from http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/brca-gene-test/MY00322 National Cancer Institute, (2012, April). Inflammatory breast cancer [Fact sheet]. Retrieved from http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Sites-Types/IBC