The breast cancers that DON’T start with a lump: Two survivors of rarer subtypes of disease issue warning to other women about symptoms that doctors nearly missed

Two women who have survived subtypes of breast cancer are warning others to be on the lookout for less obvious signs of the disease.

Olivia Franz and Meadow Bailey were both diagnosed with less common types of breast cancer, despite not showing the characteristic lumps that usually prompt women to seek a medical opinion.

Ms Franz was 27 years old when she was diagnosed with stage 4 inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) after noticing swelling in her breast while breastfeeding her son.

When Ms. Franz first visited her doctor, she was misdiagnosed with mastitis, swelling in the breast usually caused by an infection.

When Ms. Franz visited her doctor and was originally diagnosed with mastitis, swelling in the breast was usually caused by an infection. However, after a week of antibiotics did not help, Ms. Franz also noticed that her breast was very red and almost doubled in size. She also noticed discharge from her nipple

Ms Bailey has always been healthy and active – and she never missed an annual mammogram. But shortly after her 49th birthday, doctors called her in after noticing something worrying during her last performance

However, after a week of antibiotics it didn’t help. Ms Franz also noticed her breast was very red and had almost doubled in size. She also noticed a discharge from her nipple.

After an ultrasound and biopsy, Ms. Franz was diagnosed with IBC, a rare type of aggressive breast cancer that does not always present with the common symptom of a lump in the breast.

Ms. Franz tells Good morning America: ‘It spread to my bones. I thought, “well, I’m going to leave a brand new baby alone without a mother.”

‘And then my very next thought was, “that’s not an option.” He needs his mother and I’m going to do whatever it takes to keep myself here for him.’

IBC is a rare form of breast cancer, accounting for only one to five percent of all breast cancer cases. It tends to occur in women younger than 40 years old. It is more aggressive – growing and spreading much faster than more common forms of the cancer.

Because of its unusual symptoms, it is also often diagnosed at later stages and in one out of three cases that are diagnosed, the cancer has already spread to other parts of the body, making it more difficult to treat.

Other symptoms include one breast feeling warm to the touch, swelling of lymph nodes under the arms and near the collarbone and an inverted nipple.

The five-year survival rate for IBC that has spread to distant parts of the body, such as Ms. Franz’s fallen legs, is 19 percent.

Ms Bailey has always been healthy and active – and she never missed an annual mammogram.

But shortly after her 49th birthday, doctors called her in after noticing something worrying during her last performance.

She told GMA, “I thought, ‘no big deal’ and the radiologist looked with an ultrasound and she said, ‘We have an area of ​​concern here.’ And I said “do you talk like cancer?”

Olivia Franz and Meadow Bailey were both diagnosed with less common types of breast cancer after experiencing few discussed symptoms other than the characteristic lump that prompts women to seek a medical opinion

“And she said ‘yes, I am.’

Ms Bailey was diagnosed with stage 1 lobular breast cancer, a cancer which, like IBC, typically grows and spreads without forming a characteristic lump.

She said: ‘I never felt a lump and I felt really good too so it really caught me off guard.’

Lobular breast cancer starts in the milk-producing glands of the breast and is the second most common form of breast cancer. It accounts for 10 to 15 percent of diagnosed cases.

It can be difficult to diagnose because of the abnormal way the cells grow, making it harder to recognize on mammograms.

Like IBC, symptoms do not always include a lump and can appear as an inverted nipple, a change in the texture of the breast skin, and swelling.

The five-year survival rate of lobular breast cancer is nearly 100 percent when treated early.

Both women received specialized and breakthrough treatments at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas. Ms Franz has been cancer free for three years and Ms Bailey has been cancer free for one year.

Following their atypical experiences, both women encourage others to pay attention to changes in their bodies, undergo recommended screenings and advocate for your health.