A letter written to Ann Landers published
May 11, 1999
This letter was written after having read the letter published February 24, 1999
DEAR ANN LANDERS: I just read the letter in your column from the man who said the skin on his wife’s breast resembled an orange peel. She delayed seeking medical help until it was too late. Please help educate your readers about a little-known killer called inflammatory breast cancer. This type of cancer comes on suddenly and can exist even in the presence of clear mammograms. It spreads rapidly, and if treatment is not given immediately, it is almost always fatal.
Here are the symptoms: The breast becomes red, swollen or warm; there is bruising or discoloration, itching, a rash or swollen lymph nodes under the arm or above the collarbone; the breast develops an orange-peel or ridged appearance, thickness, raised areas or inverted nipples. Often, there is no detectable tumor, just a rash and some pain. Many of the symptoms match those of mastitis, or breast infection, and doctors frequently prescribe antibiotics. Time is wasted while the condition gets worse.
Inflammatory breast cancer is a dreadful disease that affects thousands of women (and men) every year. Tragically, treatment is usually too late, and survival rates are grim. When it is diagnosed quickly, however, there is reason to hope. The best treatment is chemotherapy first, then surgery, if necessary.
Please urge your readers to get prompt medical help for any of the above symptoms. You could save many lives by increasing awareness of this dreadful breast cancer.
– Surviving in Washington, D.C.
Click here to see the letter this was written in reply to.
