Many people know very little about inflammatory breast cancer. But according to the National Cancer Institue, IBC accounts for 1 to 5 percent of all breast cancer cases in the US.

But when Marietta Plummer was diagnosed with inflammatory breast cancer it left her family asking many questions.

The National Cancer Institute says IBC is a rare but aggressive form of breast cancer. The disease is described as cancer cells blocking the lymph vessels in the skin of the breast causing it to appear swallon or red. But what makes it so difficult to detect is the fact that there's often no distinct lump.

Marietta's family says she experienced several different symptoms including her breasts becoming enlarged and the skin beginning to look like a peel of an orange.

Marietta's sister, Laura Zahn says, "My sister said if there is one thing I've learned don't ignore medical symptoms."

Zahn says she knows you can't go to the doctor everytime you notice something, but you should always listen to your body.

Because this cancer spreads quickly to other areas of the body, the survival rate is low. As a result, The National Cancer Institute says the 5 year survival rate for patients with IBC is only about 25 to 50 percent.

In Marietta's case, it moved into her lungs and eventually her brain.

But there is hope as doctors are actively researching it.

For more information on inflammatory breast cancer or other forms: American Cancer Society - http://www.cancer.org/docroot/home/index.asp
and the Susan G. Komen for a Cure - http://ww5.komen.org/

For more tips on coping with cancer - http://www.caringbridge.org/