Population-Based Statistics for Women Diagnosed with Inflammatory Breast Cancer (United States)

• Published in: Cancer causes & control Vol. 15; no. 3; pp. 321 - 328
• Main Authors: Wingo, Phyllis A., Jamison, Patricia M., Young, John L., Gargiullo, Paul
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Kluwer Academic Publishers 01.04.2004; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adult; African Americans; Age of Onset; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Breast cancer; Breast neoplasms; Breast Neoplasms - complications; Breast Neoplasms - epidemiology; Breast Neoplasms - pathology; Cancer; Epidemiologic Studies; Epidemiology; Female; Hispanics; Humans; Incidence; Inflammation; Island life; Middle Aged; Pathology; Prognosis; Registries - statistics & numerical data; Tumors; United States - epidemiology; White people; United States
• ISSN: 0957-5243; 1573-7225
• DOI: 10.1023/B:CACO.0000024222.61114.18

Objective: The purpose of this study was to use population-based information to describe the demographic and tumor characteristics of inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) - the most aggressive form of this disease. Methods: IBC cases diagnosed during 1994 through 1998 were reported to 26 population-based cancer registries covering approximately 40% of the US population. Rates were expressed per 100,000 female population and age-adjusted to the 2000 US population. Ninety-five percent gamma confidence limits were estimated for the rates. Results: Among the 3626 women diagnosed with IBC during 1994-1998, the majority were 40-59 years old. Most tumors were diagnosed at a regional (68.9%) or distant (25.3%) stage and were poorly differentiated (49.4%). The rate of IBC was 1.3 per 100,000 for all races combined. Black women had the highest risk (1.6) and Asian and Pacific Islander women the lowest (0.7). Conclusions: IBC is an extremely rare form of breast cancer. More precise diagnostic criteria are needed to distinguish it from less aggressive forms of the disease. Future studies should use a population-based design and collect detailed clinical information, including the presence of erythema, edema or peau d'orange appearance of the skin, and other clinical signs of disease.