Quantitative scoring system for the diagnosis of inflammatory breast cancer

Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is an aggressive type of breast cancer. A key challenge is the need for a more detailed, formal, objective definition of IBC. A panel of experts developed a quantitative scoring system for diagnosis of IBC. The system is based on timing of signs/symptoms, swelling of the breast, erythema, nipple abnormalities, lymphatic tumor cell emboli, and breast imaging characteristics. The experts conclude that this system is intended to predict outcome and biology of IBC, guide treatment decisions, and increase diagnostic accuracy. Future validation studies are necessary to evaluate its performance.