Did you know that there is more than one kind of breast cancer? The media has done a very good job of reminding women that when she discovers a lump on her breast she should go to the doctor immediately. Unfortunately, there is another type of breast cancer which does not present itself as a distinct lump in the tissue but instead grows in sheets of tissue throughout the breast. This is inflammatory breast cancer. Rather than being confined as a solid tumor it is diffuse and there is no palpable mass. The cancer cells will clog the lymphatic system that travels just below the skin which changes the density of the breast tissue on mammogram.
Unfortunately, some women who have inflammatory breast cancer will go undiagnosed for long periods of time, even when seeking the advice of their gynecologist or primary care physician for the reason behind the symptoms. The symptoms for inflammatory breast cancer often appear the same as mastitis, which is a breast infection. Instead of recognizing the possibility or potential for inflammatory breast cancer, some physicians will prescribe an antibiotic and wait several weeks before investigating further.
