Inflammatory breast carcinoma: mammographic findings

• Published in: Radiology Vol. 190; no. 3; p. 831
• Main Authors: Dershaw, D D, Moore, M P, Liberman, L, Deutch, B M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01-03-1994
• Subjects: Adenocarcinoma - diagnostic imaging; Adenocarcinoma - epidemiology; Breast Neoplasms - diagnostic imaging; Breast Neoplasms - epidemiology; Carcinoma in Situ - diagnostic imaging; Carcinoma in Situ - epidemiology; Carcinoma, Ductal, Breast - diagnostic imaging; Carcinoma, Ductal, Breast - epidemiology; Female; Humans; Mammography; Middle Aged; Retrospective Studies
• ISSN: 0033-8419
• DOI: 10.1148/radiology.190.3.8115635

To identify and quantitate mammographic characteristics of inflammatory carcinoma (IC).
A retrospective analysis was made of the clinical and mammographic findings in 22 women (aged 31-66 years [mean, 51 years]) with IC, who were seen between 1980 and 1990 at the authors' institution.
A palpable mass was present in 17 of the 22 women (77%); skin thickening, axillary adenopathy, nipple inversion, and erythema were common findings. At mammography, the findings in one woman with dense breasts were negative. A primary tumor, evident on the basis of a mass and/or malignant-type calcifications, was seen in all other cases. Skin thickening was present in 15 women, stromal coarsening in 11, diffusely increased breast density in nine, and axillary adenopathy in five.
IC has a mammographic pattern of inflammatory changes: skin thickening and stromal coarsening and/or diffusely increased breast density, associated with evidence of a primary tumor mass and/or calcifications. In this series, inflammatory changes without an associated mass and/or malignant-type calcifications were not seen in women with IC.