Inflammatory Breast Cancer

Inflammatory breast cancer is rare but serious — and it behaves differently from most breast cancers in one important way: it doesn’t usually present as a lump.

Instead, symptoms can include redness, swelling, warmth, and skin changes that can easily be mistaken for mastitis or even sunburn. Because there’s no lump, mammography often misses it entirely.

This is where thermography has a specific and important role. Inflammatory breast cancer produces significant heat — precisely the kind of physiological change thermography is designed to detect.

If you notice any persistent redness, warmth, or swelling in your breast that doesn’t resolve, please seek medical advice promptly — and consider whether thermography might provide additional information.

For further reading: The Independent, 2017 — “The rare breast cancer that looks like a rash”