Ep. 49 Inflammatory Breast Cancer: Symptoms, Diagnosis, & Management with Dr. Bora Lim

Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is rare but highly aggressive, and often hides in plain sight. Rather than presenting as the distinct lump, IBC typically appears as redness or swelling in the breast and skin changes that can mimic mastitis or infection, leading to dangerous delays in diagnosis. In this episode of BackTable Tumor Board, breast medical oncologists Dr. Lindsay Peterson and Dr. Bora Lim break down how to recognize IBC’s typical and atypical presentations, approach diagnostic workup, and tailor treatment across subtypes.

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SYNPOSIS

Dr. Peterson and Dr. Lim explore evolving neoadjuvant strategies, emerging clinical trials, combination therapies, IBC vaccine development, and the growing role of AI and MRI pattern recognition in predicting recurrence and guiding surveillance. The discussion highlights the importance of multidisciplinary expertise and calls for broader clinician awareness–especially in primary care, dermatology, and urgent care–so that persistent “infection-like” breast changes prompt timely evaluation and treatment for IBC.

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TIMESTAMPS

0:00 - Introduction
3:26 - Typical Presentations of Inflammatory Breast Cancer (IBC)
8:30 - Atypical Presentations of IBC
11:48 - Routine Diagnostic Workup
16:06 - Treatments for Different Subtypes of IBC
19:49 - Clinical Trials
22:53 - Surveillance for Different Stages of IBC
25:59 - Current Clinical Trials for Best Treatments
29:18 - Central Nervous System Recurrence and Other Relapse Patterns in IBC
33:29 - Novel Neoadjuvant Therapy
37:27 - Centers Dedicated to Treating IBC
42:13 - Final Thoughts

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RESOURCES

Atezolizumab, Cobimetinib, and Eribulin in Treating Patients With Chemotherapy Resistant Metastatic Inflammatory Breast Cancer
https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT03202316?tab=researcher#study-record-dates

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
https://www.dana-farber.org/cancer-care/treatment/breast-oncology/programs/inflammatory-breast-cancer

MD Anderson Inflammatory Breast Cancer Clinic
https://www.mdanderson.org/patients-family/diagnosis-treatment/care-centers-clinics/breast-center/inflammatory-breast-cancer-clinic.html