Information

Common IBC Symptoms:

  • a swollen breast
  • a painful breast
  • incessant itchy breast
  • a rash on one breast
  • a bug bite that won't go away
  • nipple changes
  • a hardened area in the breast similar to a pencil lead, not a lump
These symptoms may appear overnight without warning. If they do not go away with creams, ointments or antibiotics, demand that your doctor rule out IBC.

Things You need to know:
Mammograms usually don't pick up IBC because so often there is no lump.

Why - Reason #1
Doctors misdiagnose Inflammatory Breast Cancer as a breast infection or mastitis.

Why - Reason #2
We need to push this message across the country.

Who..
Our group of dedicated advocates are, and a brief message about each one of us.

Tips:
These are TIPS that doctors and patients have given to people dealing with first symptoms of Inflammatory Breast Cancer, plus TIPS from patients who have gone through chemotherapy.

  • Insist that your physician take your temperature at initial exam. Mastitis is often accompanied by an increase in body temp, while IBC is not.

  • Any sudden changes to your breast (sometimes overnight), swelling, constant itching, pain or discoloration need to be taken seriously. See your Doctor.

  • We are told to look for a lump. Not so normally with Inflammatory Breast Cancer. An overnight swelling of the breast, pain, itching that will not go away with creams or ointments, should be checked by a breast specialist. And please be your own best advocate. It could save your life.

Medical Disclaimer

The information contained on the 'eraseibc.com' web site is presented for the purpose of educating people on Inflammatory Breast Cancer. Nothing contained on this web site should be construed nor is intended to be used for medical diagnosis or treatment. It should not be used in place of the advice of your physician or other qualified health care provider. Should you have any health care related questions, please call or see your physician or other qualified health care provider promptly.


Education is the MOST powerful tool in the fight against misdiagnosis and improper treatment of Inflammatory Breast Cancer.

Our Foundation's mission is to educate the public and the medical community when needed, that this form of breast cancer is different and is rarely picked up by mammograms.

Towards this mission, the third
Wednesday of the month our
radio show, called
IBC FACT & FALLACIES,
will dispel the myths and help educate our listeners.

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"Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass....It's about learning to dance in the rain"
Andy Rooney

President's Letter: A Change of Guard

This will be my last Presidents Message here, but it will be followed by our new President, Alan Stephens. I will be handing the baton over to Alan effective November 1, 2011.

The last four and a half years have been both enlightening and educational for me, and our foundation has grown through changes and turnover, like any corporation has when it is trying to find it's place. The team that is now in place has the energy and excitement to carry us through to our next venture.

Our radio show, IBC Fact & Fallacies has grown it's listener base more and more each month, and now, well into it's third year of monthly shows, we can safely say we have made a dent in education on a completely different level than we ever thought possible. Education must be the first stronghold before research can ever be tackled, and we have moved toward that goal. I want to thank Lenny Azzarone who has taken a fledgling group of people who wanted a louder voice in the IBC world, to full video and great quality shows. Yes, we have had glitches along the way, but with Lenny's help we have made our commitment of "the show must go on", and interviewed amazing people, both in and out of the medical profession. Thank you to everyone who has made this show a major positive in educational listening (and viewing). Thank you also to Fox Chase Cancer Center who has helped with their advertising, which has allowed us to stay ahead of the game at every turn.

Our members have kept busy in their local areas spreading the word by attending events which allowed them to show in words and pictures Inflammatory Breast Cancer from onset to treatment protocols. Without this needed education both to the general public and to medical students there would not be the interest there is today for what we all 'used' to call a rare disease. We also found many areas where there are pockets of IBC patients in higher counts than was believed, providing us with the knowledge "rare" should be struck from the description of IBC. Taking this disease out of the rare category still needs to happen before more research dollars are spent on finding the root cause and then the specific treatment protocol for individuals, both men and women can gain the status of NED (no evidence of disease) and go on to fulfill their productive lives.

Thank you everyone who has stayed loyal to our basic mission from the very beginning. Without all your support we could never have come as far as we have. And we have come further in a short time than we could have ever dreamed.

My new title will be CEO, Chief Educational Officer and I will continue with our radio show with Peggy Stephens who has worked so very hard to make sure our foundation stays current with all that is needed to run an efficient ship.

Thank you Peggy.