Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is a rare, aggressive form of breast cancer in which cancer cells block lymph vessels in the skin of the breast.
This causes the breast to look red or swollen, according to the Dana Farber Cancer Institute.
IBC is rare but very aggressive and accounts for 1% to 5% of all breast cancers diagnosed in the United States, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
A Program Dedicated to Treatment, Research, and Education
Dana Farber Cancer Institute has a program dedicated to the treatment, research and education of IBC.
This program is the only one of its kind in the Northeast.
It includes breast cancer surgeons, medical oncologists and radiation oncologists who have specific expertise in the treatment of IBC.
This is in order to create a personalized treatment plan tailored to each patient’s unique medical needs.
Risk factors for inflammatory breast cancer include:
- Being a woman: more likely to be diagnosed with IBC than men, but men can also develop it.
- Being younger than 60 years old: patients with IBC are diagnosed on average at a younger age compared to patients with other forms of breast cancer.
- Being a person of color: people of color are more at risk of developing inflammatory breast cancer than white people.
- Being overweight/obese: overweight or obese people have a higher risk of developing IBC, regardless of their menopausal status.
Inflammatory Breast Cancer Free Virtual Forum
On Saturday, April 1 at 10 am will be held the sixth annual forum for patients with inflammatory breast cancer.
This as part of their commitment to educating the community at large to patients, their friends and loved ones and healthcare professionals.
This educational forum consists of two separate events that will be held through Zoom, registration must be done separately for each event using these links:
- Welcome Session and Educational Sessions
- Session for patients, families and loved ones: IBC Social Work Group | Registration is limited for this session.
Educational sessions will be recorded and posted on the Inflammatory Breast Cancer Program website.
As part of the program there will be informative sessions on topics related to:
- IBC Surgery,
- Anxiety with an IBC diagnosis,
- Immunotherapy in the IBC setting,
- A question and answer session with speakers.
There will also be a roundtable discussion on clinical trials, patient advocacy; among other topics, associated with the diagnosis, treatment and follow-up of the disease.
Sign Up, space is limited!
Our sources: https://www.dana-farber.org/inflammatory-breast-cancer-program/, https://www.cancer.gov/