Inflammatory breast cancer

Abstract

Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) represents the most virulent form of breast cancer, characterized by involvement of the skin and rapid progression of the disease. Management involves careful coordination of all multidisciplinary modalities, including imaging, systemic chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation therapy. The use of neoadjuvant chemotherapy has contributed significantly to improvement in overall survival since the first descriptions of this entity and has made the role of locoregional therapy, including surgery and radiation critical to continued improvements in this disease. In this article, we examine the unique epidemiology and pathology of IBC and review the various treatment modalities noting the significance of a multimodality approach and delineating each of the specific components. Moreover, we briefly describe the current research in IBC that will hopefully contribute further to improve systemic therapies.