Inflammatory Breast Cancer

INFLAMMATORY BREAST CANCER -- (Senate - November 16, 2006)

Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I rise today to make my colleagues aware of inflammatory breast cancer, IBC, the least common but most aggressive type of breast cancer. Although IBC accounts for 1 to 5 percent of all breast cancer cases in the United States, it is an especially aggressive and rare form of breast cancer.

The unique symptoms of IBC can result in misdiagnoses or late diagnoses. IBC often presents with similar symptoms as mastitis, a type of breast infection. The disease also occurs more frequently in younger women. Physicians may believe these young women are at lower risk for breast cancer and might misdiagnose their symptoms. Unfortunately, these delays in correct diagnosis result in the sad fact that IBC is more likely to have metastasized at the time of diagnosis than non-IBC cases. IBC is also an especially aggressive form of breast cancer. As a result, the survival rate for patients with IBC is significantly lower than those with non-IBC breast cancer.

These sobering facts tell us that education and awareness about this rare cancer are desperately needed so that women are quickly and properly diagnosed. My home State of Washington is making important strides in this direction. In fact, Washington State recently celebrated Inflammatory Breast Cancer Awareness Week, thanks to the foresight of Governor Christine Gregoire and the hard work of Washington's IBC advocates. This special observance goes a long way in raising awareness about IBC in my home State.

Efforts such as Washington State's awareness week are a good start, but more education and awareness are needed for both patients and their physicians. We also must increase access to screening, especially for low-income women. One important step that Congress can take to increase these efforts is to pass S. 1687, the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program Reauthorization Act of 2005. For all types of breast cancer--but especially for IBC--early detection is critical to catching cancer early before it spreads. I am working with Chairman Enzi and Ranking Member Kennedy to bring this bill up for a vote in the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, and it is my hope that we can pass this bill before the end of the 109th Congress.

In closing, I commend the efforts of Governor Gregoire and the IBC advocates in Washington State. I am committed to making the Federal Government a strong partner in these efforts by increasing awareness and access to screening. Together, we can help ensure that every woman gets screened for breast cancer and that she and her doctor have access to the latest medical research.

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