Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) advocacy-Past, present and future!

ABSTRACT

Patient advocates, referring to those individuals that have been diagnosed with the disease for which they advocate, are essential stake holders in healthcare. For those facing the stages of being diagnosed with Inflammatory Breast Cancer (IBC), the "call to advocate" is an immediate response to being diagnosed with a rare and aggressive disease that progresses rapidly, often in a matter of weeks or months. There is a great stigma and bias in the medical community that has inhibited the education and study of IBC. A lack of understanding of the disease, how it presents and how to treat it leaves many IBC patients facing misdiagnosis. Communication is a cornerstone of healthcare; this goes beyond the patient-provider dynamic. Education of IBC must be a grassroots initiative. There should be no barrier to care in the diagnosis, treatment, study and survivorship of inflammatory Breast Cancer. It is not just an oncologist's lesson to learn, but that of all providers in healthcare. In this chapter you will hear how 4 women who were diagnosed with IBC faced the difficult tasks of navigating through the healthcare system on their own and came out on the other side using their experience to help others. In conclusion, in defining the evolving roles of Patient Advocacy in IBC over the past 25 years, we examine what has been done, along with its challenges, and what work still remains from the perspectives of different patient advocates.