Inflammatory Breast Cancer - A Silent KIller

Inflammatory Breast Cancer is an uncommon, but aggressive and often lethal form of breast cancer. The most common IBC symptoms include: rapid increase in breast size in one breast, redness, skin hot to the touch, an inverted nipple, persistent itching, and thickening of tissue and stabbing pain. When Phil Willingham's wife Marilyn died from IBC last December he vowed to make sure every woman knows there is more than one kind of breast cancer -- and you don't have to have a lump to have breast cancer. IBC often forms in sheets. Symptoms include a swollen breast that can be hot to the touch, stabbing pain, a red blotchy and itchy breast . Washington's proclamation was Phil's idea. "I told Marilyn's story," says Willingham. During the January legislative session in Washington, less than a month after losing his wife, Phil met with every lawmaker or their staff, begging them to help create awareness. On Tuesday, Phil made the Legislative rounds again, back where it all began to say thank you. "It was because of your diligence, I'm really proud of you," a legislative aide tells Willingham. The governor's office says last year 210,000 breast cancer cases were diagnosed; six percent were IBC. Because there's often no lump, IBC cases are usually not detected on a mammogram or ultrasound. Doctors say the best bet is a biopsy, but in some cases an MRI will find it. Easiest thing to remember: any changes to your breast, get it checked out.