Expert Inflammatory Breast Cancer Care
Scripps offers advanced IBC diagnosis and treatment in San Diego
Scripps offers advanced IBC diagnosis and treatment in San Diego
Patients with inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) — a rare, aggressive and often misdiagnosed form of the disease — have new hope, thanks to a new treatment option in San Diego. Scripps has the region’s first dedicated IBC clinic at its Torrey Pines facility and has already begun seeing patients from across California and beyond.
“IBC differs greatly from other forms of breast cancer in a number of ways, so it requires a dedicated approach that focuses on a unique set of challenges,” says Thomas Buchholz, MD, medical director at Scripps Cancer Center and a radiation oncologist at Scripps Clinic. Dr. Buchholz is one of the most experienced radiation oncologists in the field when it comes to treating and researching IBC.
Understanding inflammatory breast cancer
Inflammatory breast cancer is a biologically distinct subtype of breast cancer that is characterized by rapid onset and aggressive growth. It causes redness and swelling of the skin of the breast due to the inflammatory breast cancer cells invading and obstructing the lymphatic channels in the skin of the breast.
According to the National Cancer Institute, several features make IBC unique compared to other types of breast cancer:
- It’s usually diagnosed at a younger age
- It’s more common in African-American women than white women
- Tumors are often “hormone receptor negative,” meaning they don’t respond to hormone therapies like tamoxifen
- Often, no lump can be felt during a physical exam or seen in a screening mammogram
- It’s so aggressive, it may develop and spread between annual screening mammograms
Inflammatory breast cancer symptoms
Because IBC blocks lymph vessels, causing fluid build-up, symptoms include swelling and redness that affect at least a third of the breast. Other signs of IBC include:
- Breast swelling that appears suddenly with one breast much larger than the other
- Itching of the breast
- Pink, red, or dark colored area on the breast, sometimes with a dimpling of the breast skin that looks like an orange peel (called peau d’orange)
- Ridges and thickened areas of the skin on the breast
- Breast that feels warm to the touch
- Flattened or retracted nipple
- Breast pain or tenderness
Comprehensive treatment for inflammatory breast cancer
Dr. Buchholz says IBC is often hard to diagnose and it can spread fast — so it’s critical that patients receive prompt treatment from experienced specialists working together as an integrated team.
The clinic’s specialized, multidisciplinary teams include Scripps experts in medical oncology, surgery, radiation oncology, pathology and radiology. They work together to personalize each patient’s treatment plan. Scripps physicians also play an active role in raising awareness of IBC in the community.
This content appeared in San Diego Health, a publication in partnership between Scripps and San Diego Magazine that celebrates the healthy spirit of San Diego.