Inflammatory breast cancer, in which the cancer has spread to the skin of the breast area, looks red and swollen and is accompanied by fever. This is because the cancer cells are blocking the lymphatic vessels in the skin. The skin surface of the breast area may also appear bumpy, which we call an orange peel lesion (like the outer skin of an orange). It is not possible to feel any lumps present in the breast at this time. Inflammatory breast cancer may be stage IIIB, stage IIIC or stage IV.
