Inflammatory Breast Cancer

INTRODUCTION: The Inflammatory Breast Cancer (IBC) is a very aggressive subtype of breast cancer. Its diagnosis is Clinical, characterized by edema, skin hyperemia in more than a third of the breast surface and papillary retraction in the majority of the cases. The dermal lymphatic vascular infiltration is sign of worse prognosis when it is present. MATHERIALS: From January/1977 until December / 2010 we attended a total of 3. 815 patients with breast cancer, from whom 246 patients had developed IBC (6. 4%), with mean age of 52.5 years old. RESULTS: Among our breast cancer patients, the IBC subtype was clinically staged: IIIB in 173 patients (70. 3%), IIIC in 41 patients (16. 7%) and IV in 32 patients (13. 0%). The TNM-N classification was as follows: N0 in 0. 4% ; N1a in 4.5%, N1b in 51. 2%, N2 in 20. 7% and N3c in 23. 2% of the patients. The right breast was compromised in 40% of the patients and the left breast in 60% of the patients. The more compromised quadrants were: Central Quadrant: 44% and Superoexternal Quadrant in 32, 5%. The Ductal Carcinoma was detected in 98% of the patients. IBC was Bilateral in 03 patients and was detected concomitant with pregnancy/lactation in 07 patients. 91. 1% of the patients were admitted with palpable breast tumor: 50. 4% of them measured from 5. 0 to 10cm in diameter. In our patients, when radical modified mastectomy was performed, the axillary metastasis was observered in 87. 2% of cases. CONCLUSION: proceedings to try the control of IBC using only loco-regional treatment did not show any survival improvement. The overall mortality of the IBC continue elevated because of the high aggressivity and high metastasis rate. The association of newer chemotherapy drugs (Doxorubicin and Taxanes), Radiotherapy and Hormone Therapy associated or not to Surgery ( the Radical Mastectomy is performed when after Chemo and Radiotherapy a biopsy is histologically positive), makes a better loco-regional and distant control as well as a better prognosis in IBC.