Diagnosing inflammatory breast cancer

Tests and procedures used to diagnose inflammatory breast cancer include:

• A physical exam. Your doctor examines your breast to look for redness and other signs of inflammatory breast cancer.
• Imaging tests. Your doctor may recommend a breast X-ray (mammogram) or a breast ultrasound to look for signs of cancer in your breast, such as thickened skin. Additional imaging tests, such as MRI, may be recommended in certain situations.
• Removing a sample of tissue for testing. A biopsy is a procedure to remove a small sample of suspicious breast tissue for testing. The tissue is analyzed in a laboratory to look for signs of cancer. A skin biopsy may also be helpful, and this can be done at the same time as a breast biopsy.

Determining the extent of the cancer

Additional tests may be necessary to determine whether your cancer has spread to your lymph nodes or to other areas of your body.

Tests may include a CT scan, positron emission tomography (PET) scan and bone scan. Not everyone needs every test, so your doctor will select the most appropriate tests based on your particular situation.

Your doctor uses information from these tests to assign your cancer a stage. Your cancer's stage is indicated in Roman numerals. Stages of inflammatory breast cancer range from III to IV, with the higher stage indicating that cancer has spread to other areas of the body.

The cancer staging system continues to evolve and is becoming more complex as doctors improve cancer diagnosis and treatment. Your doctor uses your cancer stage to select the treatments that are right for you.