What is inflammatory breast cancer?

Inflammatory breast cancer is when cancer cells spread into tiny channels in the skin of the breast. These channels are called lymph vessels. They are part of the lymphatic system. They drain fluid from tissue. This allows them to collect and filter out bacteria and any waste material from the body’s cells.

The breast cancer cells block the lymph vessels. It is called inflammatory breast cancer because the breast becomes inflamed and swollen. This is because the body is reacting to the cancer cells in the lymph vessels.

Inflammatory breast cancer is rare. Less than 5 in 100 breast cancers (5%) are inflammatory. Unlike other breast cancers, you may not feel a lump.

Symptoms of inflammatory breast cancer

Symptoms usually develop suddenly. The breast may become:

  • red if you have white skin
  • darker than your usual skin tone if you have black or brown skin
  • firm
  • swollen
  • hot to touch
  • itchy.

Other symptoms may include:

  • ridges or raised marks on the skin of the breast
  • pitted skin, like the peel of an orange – this is called peau d’orange
  • a lump or thickening in the breast
  • pain in the breast or nipple
  • the nipple turning inward (becoming inverted)
  • discharge from the nipple
  • swelling or a lump in the armpit.

The symptoms of inflammatory breast cancer are similar to an infection of the breast called mastitis.

If your GP thinks that you could have mastitis, they may give you antibiotics to see if symptoms improve. It is not common to get mastitis if you are not pregnant or breastfeeding. It is also rare to get mastitis if you have been through the menopause.

Mastitis symptoms usually improve quickly with antibiotics. If this does not happen, your GP will refer you to a specialist breast cancer doctor. This is who mean when we mention cancer doctor on this page.

Related pages

Diagnosis of inflammatory breast cancer

The cancer doctor may suspect inflammatory breast cancer from the way your breast looks. But you will need to have tests to confirm the diagnosis and to find out whether the cancer has spread:

  • Breast biopsy
  • Mammogram 
  • Ultrasound scan

Stages of inflammatory breast cancer

If you have inflammatory breast cancer, you will have other tests. These may include:

This is to find out more about the size and position of the cancer. It is also to find out whether the cancer has spread to other parts of the body. The results will help you and your doctor decide the best treatment for you.

Number staging system

Doctors often use the number staging system to describe the size and position of the cancer. Breast cancer can be divided into 4 number stages. Stage 1 cancer is very small and has not spread to the lymph nodes in the armpit. Stage 4 is when the cancer has spread to other parts of the body.

Early-stage breast cancers usually affect only 1 small area of the breast. But inflammatory breast cancer usually affects the whole breast and the skin. So, it is not usually staged as early.

Inflammatory breast cancer is either stage 3B, 3C or 4:

  • Stage 3B – the cancer has spread into tissue nearby, such as the skin of the breast and the chest muscle underneath. It may have spread to lymph nodes in the armpit.
  • Stage 3C the cancer has spread to lymph nodes in the armpit, or below the breastbone. This could be either above or below the collarbone.
  • Stage 4 – the cancer has spread beyond the breast and nearby lymph nodes.

Treatment for inflammatory breast cancer

Inflammatory breast cancer can spread more quickly than other types of breast cancer. This means you often start treatment straight away.

You will usually be offered a combination of treatments. These treat both the breast area (local treatment) and the body as a whole (systemic treatment).

For most types of breast cancer, surgery is usually the first treatment. But for inflammatory breast cancer, you usually have chemotherapy first. Chemotherapy before surgery is called neo-adjuvant treatment.

We have more information about treatment for breast cancer.

  • Chemotherapy
  • Targeted therapy
  • Surgery
  • Radiotherapy
  • Hormonal therapy
  • Clinical trials

After inflammatory breast cancer treatment

After treatment, you will have regular follow-up appointments. These will include a mammogram.

Your cancer doctor or nurse will explain about your follow-up and what this involves.

Your appointments are a good opportunity to talk about any concerns you have. But if you notice new symptoms between appointments, it is important to contact your cancer doctor or nurse.

Being diagnosed with cancer, and having treatment, can cause lots of different emotions. You may get anxious between appointments. This is natural. It may help to get support from family, friends or a support organisation.

Macmillan is also here to support you. If you would like to talk, you can:

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We want everyone affected by cancer to feel our information is written for them.

We want our information to be as clear as possible. To do this, we try to:

  • use plain English
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We use gender-inclusive language and talk to our readers as ‘you’ so that everyone feels included. Where clinically necessary we use the terms ‘men’ and ‘women’ or ‘male’ and ‘female’. For example, we do so when talking about parts of the body or mentioning statistics or research about who is affected.

You can read more about how we produce our information here.

Date reviewed

Reviewed: 01 October 2023
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Next review: 01 October 2026
Trusted Information Creator - Patient Information Forum
Trusted Information Creator - Patient Information Forum

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