Home → Symptoms & Diagnosis → Types of Breast Cancer → Ask-the-Expert Conferences: Types of Breast Cancer → October 2006: Inflammatory Breast Cancer → How does IBC get missed when tested?

How does IBC get missed when tested?

Page last modified on: October 13, 2008

Question from Cathy: My skin pathology came back negative for IBC. Two months later, I had three tumors and the surgeon said I do have IBC. How was this missed the first time?: Answer —Thomas Buchholz, M.D.: When patients present with IBC, they often have congestion of fluid within their skin that's associated with small pieces of the tumor being present in some of the lymphatic channels of the skin. It is possible to take a biopsy of the skin and not find tumor cells associated with the cells that are examined. I'm not sure if this is what happened in your particular case. It sounds as if over the two month period the tumor became more present and therefore easier to detect. Inflammatory breast cancer is a breast cancer that is associated with clinical findings of thickened skin and redness of the breast that have a rapid onset and are associated with the underlying breast cancer. Oftentimes this is confirmed with the finding of a tumor within the lymphatic channels of the skin, but the diagnosis of inflammatory breast cancer is not dependent on proving that the cancer is within the skin. Therefore, inflammatory breast cancer is sometimes referred to as a clinical diagnosis meaning that a lot of the diagnosis is dependent on the history and physical examination findings.

On Wednesday, October 18, 2006, our Ask-the-Expert Online Conference was called Inflammatory Breast Cancer. Gabriel Hortobagyi, M.D., Thomas Buchholz, M.D., and moderator Jennifer Sabol, M.D. answered your questions about inflammatory breast cancer, a rare but aggressive form of breast cancer.

The materials presented in these conferences do not necessarily reflect the views of breastcancer.org. A qualified healthcare professional should be consulted before using any therapeutic product or regimen discussed. All readers should verify all information and data before employing any therapies described here.

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Meet the Experts

Gabriel N. Hortobagyi, M.D., F.A.C.P. chairs the department of breast medical oncology and directs the Breast Cancer Research Program at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, where he also serves as professor of medicine and holds the Nellie B. Connally Chair in Breast Cancer.

Thomas A. Buchholz, M.D. is professor of radiation oncology at The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. Dr. Buchholz' research includes the role of radiation treatment in preventing breast cancer recurrence and whether certain genes may be able to predict how breast cancer responds to treatment.

Jennifer Sabol, M.D., F.A.C.S. is a breast surgeon who directs the newly developed Breast Care Center at Lankenau Hospital in Wynnewood, Pa. Among her many interests, Dr. Sabol spearheads several research initiatives to advance the care for women with breast cancer and improve methods of breast cancer detection and treatment.