Clinically occult inflammatory carcinoma of the breast

Abstract

Four women with no clinical evidence that their breast cancers were inflammatory carcinoma were found to have tumor in the dermal lymphatics on histologic examination. All four followed the progressive course characteristic of inflammatory carcinoma. The term „clinically occult inflammatory carcinoma”︁ is proposed for this presentation of this tumor. This small series supports the argument that inflammatory carcinoma is a histologic rather than clinical diagnosis.