It's a form of breast cancer that strikes without warning.

Most women who get it, never find a lump in their breast. And a lot of doctors don't catch it either.

Around 10,000 women this year will be attacked by this form of cancer that many didn't even know existed.

One day recently, Nancy Key was gardening. She was doing what she loved and felt great.

Her only complaint: a spider bite she though she got gardening. It was on her breast.

"Was itching, very itchy, incessantly itching, nothing took care of the itch," she said.

So she went to the doctor. But what she thought was a bug bite was actually IBC, inflammatory breast cancer. A very aggressive and deadly breast cancer.

"I was, 'What do you mean? I have the worst breast cancer there is, I don't have a lump, how can that be?"

That's exactly what makes IBC hard to detect -- there's no lump in the breast.

"How can I have something when I go to the doctor every year, I do self breast exams every month and what is this? Why am I surprised?" she said.

Breast cancer specialist Dr. Julie Gralow says by the time IBC reveals itself in the breast, it's already traveled through the body. That's what makes it so deadly.

"It's not something most women know about. It's not something most primary care physicians think about," says Dr. Gralow.

Nancy added: "I was furious and at the same time, terrified that I was gonna die, 'cause I didn't know."

Nancy is one of the lucky ones. Cases like hers are often misdiagnosed as a breast infection. Their symptoms are similar.

Dr. Gralow says IBC is a silent killer; most people haven't heard of it, because it's rare. Try telling that to Nancy Key.

"It is not rare, because yes only 6 percent of all breast cancer are IBC, but 25% of the deaths of breast cancer are IBC."

An IBC breast looks like, "a red border, the bulk of the breast is very red, it's swollen and it has what we call an orange peel look. The breast would feel very warm to the touch," says Gralow.

She says IBC is hard to detect. It's rarely found on a mammogram or self breast exam. An MRI and biopsy are the best catch.

"It's appropriate to know your body, stay in tune, get mammograms, but none of that is perfect," said Dr. Gralow.

That's why Nancy Key is telling her story.

"I have such a passion, for not one more woman to be surprised; I don't want another one to say, 'How come I didn't know? How come I didn't know?' " she said.

Nancy was diagnosed six years ago. There's no evidence the cancer is back. Nancy says her life is actually better because of the cancer: colors are brighter, tastes are sweeter and love is deeper.

Because IBC attacks the breast and the body, patients have to have chemotherapy first, then surgery.

Often by the time IBC is diagnosed, it's either stage 3 or stage 4. Best advice is to know your body and know the symptom of IBC.

For More Information:

www.ibcresearch.org