Inflammatory breast cancer

Considerable progress in the treatment of inflammatory breast cancer occurred during the last 20 years, resulting in better local, regional, and distal tumor control and in improved survival rates. Induction multidrug chemotherapy produces partial or complete tumor regression in 50% to 90% of cases. Radiotherapy is the most frequently used treatment for local disease control, and surgery is emerging as an important component of multimodal therapy. Treatment of women with inflammatory breast cancer is best undertaken in a multidisciplinary setting where close collaboration between oncologic specialists exists and where chemotherapeutic research trials are available.