Mammography, Ultrasonography and Inflammatory Breast Cancer
What is Inflammatory Breast Cancer? INFLAMMATORY BREAST CANCER (IBC) is an advanced and accelerated form of breast cancer usually not detected by mammograms or ultrasounds. Inflammatory breast cancer requires immediate aggressive treatment with chemotherapy prior to surgery and is treated differently than more common types of breast cancer.
“Diffuse mammographic abnormalities such as skin thickening, increased density, trabecular thickening, and axillary lymphadenopathy are common at presentation in patients with primary inflammatory carcinoma of the breast. Mammographic masses and malignant-appearing calcifications are uncommon manifestations of this disease.” “The mammographic characteristics of inflammatory carcinoma of the breast identified in this study were diffuse and often subtle. Skin thickening and diffusely increased density were the most common findings, seen in 92% and 81% of patients, respectively. In most cases, proper use of a mask and a bright light was necessary to detect skin thickening as well as trabecular thickening and nipple retraction.” Source
A finding of skin thickening determined by mammography or ultrasonography should be seen as a diagnostic suspicion of inflammatory breast cancer.
“Presence of isolated inflammatory signs is sufficient to suggest inflammatory breast carcinoma clinically. Inflammatory breast carcinoma has a mammographic pattern of inflammatory changes, such as skin thickening and stromal coarsening and/or diffusely increased breast density with or without an associated mass and/or malignant-type microcalcifications. US is helpful not only in depiction of masses masked by the edema pattern but also in demonstration of skin and pectoral muscle invasion and axillary involvement.” Source
American College of Radiology Imaging Network, ACRIN, “The ACRIN Patient Advocacy Committee, in cooperation with the ACRIN Disease Site Committee chairs, has prepared information about the x-rays and types of scans (MRI, CT, PET, ultrasound, and others) used in ACRIN clinical trials. This information is designed to help patients better prepare for x-rays and scans and understand how the technology works.” Source
