{"id":1342,"date":"2026-05-10T22:16:05","date_gmt":"2026-05-10T22:16:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/edmpackz.com\/?p=1342"},"modified":"2026-05-10T22:16:05","modified_gmt":"2026-05-10T22:16:05","slug":"most-women-cant-spot-signs-of-aggressive-form-of-breast-cancer-heres-what-to-know","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/edmpackz.com\/?p=1342","title":{"rendered":"Most women can’t spot signs of aggressive form of breast cancer \u2014 here’s what to know \u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Dr. Ko Un Park, a surgical oncologist at OSU\u2019s Comprehensive Cancer Center, discusses the signs of inflammatory breast cancer, treatment, and other things to know about the rare, yet deadly form of the disease.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

COLUMBUS, Ohio<\/strong>\u00a0–\u00a0<\/span>While self-exams are important to help identify signs of\u00a0breast cancer<\/a>, not all forms begin with a lump, including a particularly aggressive type of the disease known as inflammatory breast cancer.<\/p>\n

In fact, most women are unaware of the unusual signs and symptoms of inflammatory breast cancer, which can include redness of the breast, thickening of the skin, or one breast feeling warmer and heavier than the other, according to a new national U.S. survey conducted just ahead of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.<\/p>\n

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The deadly yet rare form of the disease doesn\u2019t look like typical breast cancer because it frequently doesn’t cause a breast lump, and it is not commonly picked up by a mammogram,\u00a0according to the American Cancer Society<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0the IBC Network Foundation,<\/a>\u00a0which offers research and support for patients.<\/p>\n

It also tends to grow and spread more quickly compared to other types of cancer, often in a matter of days or weeks.<\/p>\n

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FILE – A woman with the help of a nurse gets a mammogram on International Breast Cancer Day on Oct. 19, 2021, in Seville, Andalusia, Spain. (Photo By Eduardo Briones\/Europa Press via Getty Images)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Patients are Stage III or Stage IV when diagnosed, depending on whether cancer cells have spread only to nearby lymph nodes or to other tissues as well.<\/p>\n

Inflammatory breast cancer only represents 1% to 5% of all breast cancers in the United States. And because it\u2019s so rare, patients with symptoms like tenderness, redness, warmth, and itching are often misdiagnosed as having a breast infection or inflammation, such as\u00a0mastitis for those breastfeeding<\/a>.<\/p>\n

“The main difference is, number one, inflammatory breast cancer will not improve with antibiotics,” said Dr. Ko Un Park, surgical oncologist at\u00a0Ohio State University\u2019s Comprehensive Cancer Center – The James<\/a>. “Number two, when we do mammograms or other imaging workups, we find an abnormality and ultimately the biopsy will demonstrate cancer.”<\/p>\n

RELATED:\u00a0<\/strong>Twin sisters diagnosed with breast cancer months apart<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Only 44% would flag redness as possible sign<\/h2>\n

To better understand women\u2019s awareness of the disease, the OSU Comprehensive Cancer Center commissioned the national survey last month of 2,044 U.S. adults \u2014 including 1,100 women.<\/p>\n

It found that four in five women (78%) recognize a lump in the breast as a sign of breast cancer. However, less than half of women would flag redness of the breast (44%), pitting\/thickening of the skin (44%), or one breast feeling warmer or heavier than the other (34%) as possible symptoms of breast cancer \u2014 and specifically, inflammatory breast cancer.<\/p>\n

The term “inflammatory breast cancer” comes from the symptoms of breast inflammation, which occurs due to cancer cells blocking lymph vessels in the skin and causing the breast to look “inflamed.”<\/p>\n

Symptoms of inflammatory breast cancer<\/h2>\n

Inflammatory breast cancer can occur in any part of the breast, OSU\u2019s experts say. The signs of inflammatory breast cancer include:<\/p>\n