It Was More than a Rash: It was Breast Cancer

“Diagnosing inflammatory breast cancer depends a great deal on women coming forward when they are concerned about changes in their breasts. Because this kind of cancer can often be mistaken for an infection or an injury of the breast, women may delay seeking evaluation by their health care provider,” said Dr. Susan Hoover, a surgical oncologist in the Breast Cancer Oncology Program at Moffitt Cancer Center. While mammograms and ultrasounds may show some thickening in the breast, there is no guarantee that they will. This is why it is particularly important to be aware of any breast changes and to be persistent in seeking proper evaluation.  If an infection is suspected, as in Cordts’s case, and antibiotics do not resolve it within 10 days, a biopsy of the skin is an appropriate approach.