In inflammatory cancers the cancer cells spread through the breast and block the tiny lymph channels in the skin and tissues of the breast. This causes the breast to become swollen and look inflamed, with redness, thickening and ridging of the skin overlying the breast (so that it sometimes looks like the peel of an orange). The breast also becomes warm and often tender.

These changes can happen very quickly, over just a few weeks, and the condition can look very like an infection of the breast.

Inflammatory breast cancers spread widely through the tissues of the breast and grow very rapidly, with a tendency to spread to other parts of the body at an early stage. Because of this, unlike most types of breast cancer, the first line of treatment is usually chemotherapy. This given to shrink down and control the cancer in the breast and also to try and kill off any seedlings of cancer that have spread to other parts of the body.

Further treatment varies from person to person and depends on the results of chemotherapy treatment. Sometimes nothing more will be given but other women many have radiotherapy to the breast and/or tamoxifen. Surgery is only used very occasionally to remove all or part of the affected breast.