in march of 2010 i found out i had stage 2 breast cancer with 3 lympniods and they could get rid of it. Then in april 2010 i found out that i have stage 3 breast cancer plus i have imflamitory breast cancer and they told me i only have 1year to 1.5 years to live. i dont understand the imflamitory part, im hoping mabe someone here could help. thakn-you martha
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Martha, click on this link to get more information about inflammatory breast cancer. Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) by definition means that there are breast cancer cells in the lymph vessels of the skin of the breast. I'm guessing that your doctors didn't realize that you had IBC until the pathology report showed cancer cells in your lymph vessels. If you had swelling, redness, and/or skin dimpling, they should have considered it as a possible diagnosis. However, some women with IBC don't have obvious symptoms.
You'll want to see doctors at a comprehensive cancer center where they see more IBC cases. A diagnosis of IBC does not mean that you have less than five years to live. I'm a twelve year IBC survivor doing just fine, thank you. I personally know survivors who were diagnosed years before I was who are also doing fine.
IBC is a scary diagnosis. With cancer already in your lymph system, it can spread very easily. However, these days with a combination of chemo, surgery, and radiation, it is not the automatic death sentence it used to be.
Thank-you Phillis, for answering, its nice to hear from someone who has been there. Thank-you for the website. 12 years wow congradulations. Thank - you for all the information its been helpful Thank-you again
martha
Glad to help, Martha. Keep in touch, and let us know when you have other questions. As you go through treatment, hang on to the thought that many women with IBC do get well and there is no reason why you should not be in that group.