Mum with rare breast cancer reveal lesser-known symptoms that are easy to miss

A woman who was given barely two years to live after a cancer diagnosis is living a full life while still battling the disease. Gemma Ellis, 39, had to quit her NHS job following her diagnosis in 2017. She is now a full-time advocate for people living with stage four cancer. According to her, it took series of tests to finally get a diagnosis because the symptoms she had were not very common.

Inflammatory breast cancer

For many people who have been diagnosed with breast cancer, some of the common symptoms they get include a lump or swelling in the armpit, breast lump, fluid discharge from the breast and a change in the position of the nipple, according to Cancer Research UK. However, Gemma did not experience many of these symptoms. An article in The Independent quotes her as saying:

I had pain, rash and redness all over the top of my left breast. Nobody knew what it was, and it doesn’t show up on mammograms. I had months of going back and forth to doctors before I had an MRI and was diagnosed.

What Gemma was diagnosed with is called inflammatory breast cancer, a rare and aggressive form of breast cancer accounting for 1% - 5% of all breast cancers, the American Cancer Society states.

Risk factors

Inflammatory breast cancer is considered to be a very serious form of cancer as it presents with symptoms that are different from what breast cancer would normally look like. It tends to occur in younger women (women below 40) as well as women who are obese. Also, black women statistically develop this type of cancer more often than white women. According to the American Cancer Society:

In about 1 of every 3 cases, IBC has already spread (metastasized) to distant parts of the body when it is diagnosed. This makes it harder to treat successfully.

However, Healthline cautions that not all rashes, redness or swelling of the breast is a sign of this cancer. These could also point to breast infection. To be on the safe side, they advise that you see a physician when you notice anything different about your breasts.

Sources used:

American Cancer Society: Inflammatory Breast Cancer

Cancer Research UK: Breast cancer symptoms

Healthline: Breast Rash: Inflammatory Breast Cancer vs. Breast Infection

The Independent: Mother with terminal breast cancer reveals little-known symptom everyone should know