Inflammatory Breast Cancer
Hello Buddies,
It's the 9th of August. Call, email or text message your Buddy and spread the word about Early Detection. Remind your buddy to perform a breast self exam, schedule a mammogram and an exam by a doctor or nurse practitioner.
Breast Cancer is something you may be able to feel or see on a mammogram. But it is almost always an unseen beast with one exception - Inflammatory Breast Cancer.
Dr. Shawna Willey, Director of the Ourisman Breast Center at Georgetown's Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center told us about IBC, how it's diagnosed and treated as part of a special Buddy Check 9 segment on 9 News at 9am. If you missed it, you can watch the video HERE.
You may not be familiar with Inflammatory Breast Cancer, but IBC is not a new disease, as I learned from the doctors at the Lombardi Center when I first reported this story for WUSA-9 News in 1999.
IBC was first identified more than 100-years ago. It is a rare, aggressive form of cancer that accounts for only 1 to 4% of all breast cancers.
Noted Washington area oncologist Dr. Fred Smith says with Inflammatory Breast Cancer early diagnosis doesn't really exist---the symptoms are often mistaken for an infection. At that point, Dr. Smith says, "the cancer has spread with the aggressiveness of a wildfire. It's already zinged thru the breast and the tissue so the name is very apt, very correct." With IBC, "the breast looks red, very inflamed. It's sometimes tender and then you have this little cobblestone- like orange peel appearance to the skin.”
To see what an IBC breast looks like click here.
Please be a Buddy and email these important links to your Buddy.
INFLAMMATORY BREAST CANCER: ONE WOMAN’S STORY
RARE FORM OF BREAST CANCER OFTEN MISDIAGNOSED
It's the 9th of August. Call, email or text message your Buddy and spread the word about Early Detection. Remind your buddy to perform a breast self exam, schedule a mammogram and an exam by a doctor or nurse practitioner.
Breast Cancer is something you may be able to feel or see on a mammogram. But it is almost always an unseen beast with one exception - Inflammatory Breast Cancer.
Dr. Shawna Willey, Director of the Ourisman Breast Center at Georgetown's Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center told us about IBC, how it's diagnosed and treated as part of a special Buddy Check 9 segment on 9 News at 9am. If you missed it, you can watch the video HERE.
You may not be familiar with Inflammatory Breast Cancer, but IBC is not a new disease, as I learned from the doctors at the Lombardi Center when I first reported this story for WUSA-9 News in 1999.
IBC was first identified more than 100-years ago. It is a rare, aggressive form of cancer that accounts for only 1 to 4% of all breast cancers.
Noted Washington area oncologist Dr. Fred Smith says with Inflammatory Breast Cancer early diagnosis doesn't really exist---the symptoms are often mistaken for an infection. At that point, Dr. Smith says, "the cancer has spread with the aggressiveness of a wildfire. It's already zinged thru the breast and the tissue so the name is very apt, very correct." With IBC, "the breast looks red, very inflamed. It's sometimes tender and then you have this little cobblestone- like orange peel appearance to the skin.”
To see what an IBC breast looks like click here.
Please be a Buddy and email these important links to your Buddy.
INFLAMMATORY BREAST CANCER: ONE WOMAN’S STORY
RARE FORM OF BREAST CANCER OFTEN MISDIAGNOSED
posted by andrea roane @ 10:17 AM
5 Comments:
At August 9, 2007 5:40 PM,
Twig said…
Special thanks, Andrea for your tireless commitment to keeping us educated about breast cancer. My good friend is an IBC survivor. She is a real fighter. Continued blessings to you.
At August 9, 2007 10:12 PM,
Anonymous said…
Thank you, Andrea, for your informative piece on inflammatory breast cancer. I am a 2 year survivor, but things might have been different if I had postponed seeing my doctor when the symptoms first appeared. You got that message across...see your doctor if you notice ANY changes in the breast.
At August 9, 2007 11:01 PM,
Karima said…
Andrea, a sincere thank you, I found this piece very informative and it was well done. My sister had IBC and luckily it was detected at an early stage.
At August 9, 2007 11:41 PM,
kbaum1 said…
On behalf of all ibc patients, survivors, their loved ones and in memory of those whose lives were taken by this insidious disease who worked so diligently to get the word out about Inflammatory breast cancer, thankyou you for having a segment on IBC! African Americans do have a higher chance of having ibc. There are many classic/clinical symptoms of IBC and what we advocates have been working on for years is to make people understand YOU DON'T HAVE TO HAVE A LUMP TO HAVE BREAST CANCER. We not only have to do our monthly breast check we must LOOK for the changes. I hope with all my heart that you will do a follow up program educating people that there is more than one type of breast cancer! Another issue not discussed, and I do realize you only are allotted so much airtime, is mammograms and ultrasounds usually do not detect inflammatory breast cancer.
Sincerely,
Mare Kirschenbaum
ibc Advocate
Mom of daughter Karen, dx at age 36 who is a ten year ibc survivor continuing to do remarkably well.
Mare
IBC Advocate
www.Komotv.com/ibc
At August 21, 2007 12:42 PM,
Marilyn 'Mare' Kirschenbaum said…
Dear Georgie, would you please forward this to Andrea Roane? Thank you!
Dearest Andrea,
Thank you on behalf of all of the inflammatory breast cancer patients, their families and all those who have been touched by IBC for talking about Inflammatory breast cancer. As a passionate IBC advocate ANY information that the media has educated others about the most aggressive type of breast cancer WILL save lives.
I hope with all of my heart that your network will do a segment on this insidious disease. Because IBC is more prevalent in African American Women, interviewing Jamillah, who lives in your area is highly recommended. She is a spunky, intelligent ibc patient who will certainly help you get word out not only to the public in general but specifically the African American community!
On a personal note, my daughter Karen was diagnosed with ibc at age 36 and a few months ago celebrated her 46th birthday and with a smile on my face and in my heart am writing she continues to do remarkably well!
Please continue to let people know that you don't have to have a lump to have breast cancer and that there is more than one type of breast cancer.
In September 1999 my daughter and I were interviewed by Marion Brooks of NBC5 here in Chicago. It was a tad less than five minutes which brought hundreds of calls to the station. If you can do the same, I would be happy to acknowledge any of the calls that do come in. Thank you again .. YOU have made a positive difference!
Marilyn 'Mare' Kirschenbaum
IBC Advocate
www.Komotv.com/ibc
MARE.IBCADVOCATE@gmail.com
kbaum1@comcast.net
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