Breast Cancer Advice Center

Has anyone ever heard of IBC Inflammatory Breast Cancer?

My great aunt was dignosed with it. It is one of the worst kinds of cancer to have, because most cases aren't detected until the 4th stage. If anyone has any information about this cancer please let me know. We are having a hard time dealing with this, becasue there is 95% chance we are going to lose her. www.ibcresearch.org

Public Comments

1. Any of the breast cancer sites will have information about all types of breast cancer. Start with Susan B. Koman (is it Kohman?) and go from there.
   
   But don't pick out your aunt's coffin just yet. While there may be only a 5% survival rate, that means that you are either 0% or 100% sure that the cancer will kill her. The 5% and 95% apply only to groups of people, not to your aunt. Since the only numbers that matter are 0 and 100, focus on whichever one you choose to. It sounds like it's a tough one to treat, but it IS survivable!
   
   I figured that out when my 5-year-old son had a bad kind of cancer. Fortunately, I focused on him getting well, so I wasn't freaked out all the time. He did die 10 years later from long-term side effects of agressive chemo, but those ten years were years we mightn't have had. And we didn't spend those years worrying about whether or not he was going to die. (I did spend some of the last years doing that, but it was because he wouldn't do what he needed to do, and I was his mom.)
   
   Another thing I learned then was a quote from Erma Bombeck, who was working with cancer kids. She said "At first you shout, 'Why me?' and then you whisper 'Why someone else?' "
   
   That helped me a lot then, 10 years later when he was sick again and died, and 8 years after learning them with my own quite aggressive breast cancer. (I was still bald at his funeral.) At the moment, there is no evidence of disease, but it's likely to metastasize (though I don't know what the chances are; they are either 100% or 0%, so I didn't ask.) If it does, I'll fight it again and win or lose. Meanwhile, I, like your aunt, am the very same woman I was before diagnosis, and I will live to the best of my ability.
   
   Yes, her life will change during this time, as the focus will be on learning everything she can to fight this thing, and with treatment, which isn't as bad as people think, but not nearly as fun as going to the circus.
   
   Maybe some of that will help you, maybe not, but a lot of it has helped me over the past years. And I'm still here, my son is living in my heart and I'm grateful.
2. You are such an inspiration.. Thank you!
3. For more information on IBC go to the following website.
   So far it has the most information out there that you could find.
   www.ibchelp.org
   
   I hope it answers alot of your questions.
   
   Everyone needs to know that this form of breast cancer has no age limit. So please get informed.