Inflammatory breast cancer is a rare, fast-growing type of breast cancer. The cancer cells block the lymph fluid in the breast tissue and usually don't form lumps.

Symptoms include:

• Redness, tenderness, and warmth.
• Thickening of the skin of the breast (orange peel appearance).
• Rapid breast enlargement.
• Ridging of the skin of the breast.

Treatment involves chemotherapy, breast surgery, and radiation therapy. Afterwards, more chemotherapy or hormone therapy (or both) may be needed.

By	Healthwise Staff
Primary Medical Reviewer	Sarah Marshall, MD - Family Medicine
Specialist Medical Reviewer	Douglas A. Stewart, MD - Medical Oncology
Last Revised	April 14, 2011