Inflammatory breast cancer (IMK) is characterized by breast
skin involvement and it is the most aggressive form of breast
cancers. IMK constitutes 1-6% of all breast cancers. It appears
at early ages than noninflammatory breast cancer. Erythema,
“peau d'orange'', rapid progression, poor prognosis, dermal
lymphatic infiltration by cancer cells are the clinicopathological
findings of the tumor. In the management of IMK, multimodel
approach becomes very important. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy
is the cornerstone of the treatment because of the
systemic features of the disease. However the response rates
increase by anthracycline-based chemotherapy regimens, the
average survival is still around 2.9 years. The standard regimen
in patients with Her2/neu positive is trastuzumab but can develop
resistance over time to it. Preliminary results of the studies
with panitumomab and lapatinib are positive. In this review,
we have determined the general approach to IMK because of
the lack of standard treatment and rarity of the disease.
Keywords: Inflammatory breast cancer/ diagnosis/ treatment/ prognosis
