Well, apparently there are two types of breast cancer - inflammatory breast cancer and Paget's disease of the breast that are signaled by a rash in the breast. But do not panick unless the rash has been there for more than a week and does not show any sign of improving its appearance. If your general practitioner told you a different diagnosis and you followed by suggested treatment, if the situation persists you should go to the doctor immediately and suggest another consult and maybe another opinion.
Some of the doctors might not suspect the variants I mentioned before because they are very rare forms of cancer. However, cancer is still cancer and it should be treated very seriously. In the case of the two particular types of breast cancer there is no lump to be felt inside the breast, but you can see some signs like a rash on the outside of the breast.
Here is the difference between the two froms of breast cancer rash:
- Paget's disease of the breast is a type of breast cancer that appears like a rash, more similar to an eczema that affects mainly the nipple, the areola and the area around them. It is caused by the changing of the nipple cells into Paget cells that are cancerous. This disease only affects the surface of the skin, but is a clear indicator of cancer. It also affects only one breast and can show other symptoms like nipple discharge or blood coming out of the nipples that look like unhealed wounds, like flaky sink or even a crust on the nipple.
There may even be a lump present in the affected breast, which is quite different from inflammatory breast cancer. The best way of getting an accurate diagnosis is performing a biopsy. Most of the time, I mean if the cancer has not spread to lymph nodes or other organs, it can be treated by surgery followed by chemotherapy.
- The breast cancer rash that appears in the case of inflammatory breast cancer is a lot different. Here the whole surface of the breast is affected, becoming red and swollen and also sore. It's not isolated or only situated around the nipple, but it affects the breast entirely
It may start with a little breast rash but in time it advances. This time there will be no lump found inside the breast because it affects the skin mainly. The cancer cells block the lymph vessels situated in the breast skin and cause its swallowing. This is a lot worse, as it's more aggressive and it advances rapidly if left untreated. That is why I insist on the medical check up even if your doctor tells you there's nothing to worry about.
In both cases of cancer, even if the incidence of these two forms of breast cancer is very reduced (about 1-5% of the total number of breast cancer cases), if you can see no improvement follwing the treatment, ask for a second opinion and do whatever your intuition tells you to, as it can save your life and you are not going to get another one.