The inflammatory breast: management, decision-making algorithms, therapeutic principles

Inflammatory syndrome is one of the rare emergency breast situations. Its etiology is benign, infectious in most cases. The clinical examination is often self-evident and suggests the diagnosis. But alone it is insufficient, and diagnostic tests are necessary to guide therapy. As essential as it is, mammography's limitations reinforce the benefit of ultrasonography, which in all cases reveals an abscess and has greater sensitivity for detecting a malignant tumor. If the etiology is benign, clinical signs will disappear with medical treatment, with no need for further investigation. While it is legitimate to initiate a trial treatment, it must not delay oncologic management, because of the severity of inflammatory cancer.