Breast Cancer: The Daily PANCE Blueprint

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Breast Cancer: The Daily PANCE Blueprint

A 42-year-old woman, gravida 3 para 3, presents to the clinic with left breast swelling, itching, and pain that has progressively worsened over the past month. She weaned her youngest child from breastfeeding about 2 months ago. She was treated with antibiotics for mastitis a month ago. Her temperature is 37.3°C (99.1°F). On examination, the left breast is diffusely warm, red, and swollen, with some dimpling. The right breast is normal. What is the most likely diagnosis?

A. Breast abscess
B. Fat necrosis
C. Infiltrating ductal carcinoma
D. Inflammatory breast carcinoma
E. Intraductal papilloma

Answer and topic summary

The answer is D. Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC)

The most likely diagnosis is inflammatory breast carcinoma (IBC), a rare but aggressive form of breast cancer. IBC is characterized by rapid onset of breast swelling, erythema, and warmth, often with skin changes like dimpling (peau d’orange) and nipple retraction. These symptoms result from cancer cells blocking lymphatic vessels in the skin. The patient’s history of worsening symptoms over a month, diffuse breast changes, and recent mastitis treated with antibiotics aligns with IBC, which can be mistaken for mastitis but does not respond to antibiotics.

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Smarty PANCE Content Blueprint Review:

Covered under ⇒ PANCE Blueprint Reproductive System ⇒ Neoplasms of the breast and reproductive tract ⇒ Breast Cancer

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