Abstract
Evidence has emerged implicating epigenetic alterations in inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) origin and progression. IBC is a rare and rapidly progressing disease, considered the most aggressive type of breast cancer (BC). At clinical presentation, IBC is characterized by diffuse erythema, skin ridging, dermal lymphatic invasion, and peau d’orange aspect. The widespread distribution of the tumor as emboli throughout the breast and intra- and intertumor heterogeneity is associated with its poor prognosis. In this review, we highlighted studies documenting the essential roles of epigenetic mechanisms in remodeling chromatin and modulating gene expression during mammary gland differentiation and the development of IBC. Compiling evidence has emerged implicating epigenetic changes as a common denominator linking the main risk factors (socioeconomic status, environmental exposure to endocrine disruptors, racial disparities, and obesity) with IBC development. DNA methylation changes and their impact on the diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of IBC are also described. Recent studies are focusing on the use of histone deacetylase inhibitors as promising epigenetic drugs for treating IBC. All efforts must be undertaken to unravel the epigenetic marks that drive this disease and how this knowledge could impact strategies to reduce the risk of IBC development and progression.
Highlights
Breast cancer (BC) is a complex and heterogeneous disease, characterized by distinct molecular profiles, histological types, and clinical features
The authors found a geospatial clustering of Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) rates, with the larger cluster characterized by higher frequencies of unemployed individuals and poverty indexes. These findings suggested that additional environmental risk factors such as air, water, or soil contamination by pollutants may contribute to the IBC origin [29]
The scarcity of the disease hampers the development of epidemiologic studies, which is a limitation for the identification of epigenetic IBC-associated changes and to identify how these changes interact with risk factors, such as racial disparities and environmental influences
Summary
Breast cancer (BC) is a complex and heterogeneous disease, characterized by distinct molecular profiles, histological types, and clinical features. The high metastatic rates and poor overall survival highlight the need to develop new approaches to improve the management of IBC patients [7] Epigenetic mechanisms, such as DNA methylation, post-translational histone modifications, noncoding RNAs, and chromatin remodelers, are key regulators during developmental processes (including X chromosome inactivation and genomic imprinting) [8]. Accumulating evidence suggests that epigenetic changes contribute to the origin and progression of breast cancer These patients may benefit from new epigenetic biomarkers for screening [12,13,14], prognosis [15,16], and therapeutic approaches complementary to the standard protocols used in the clinical practice [17,18]. We summarize epigenetic findings described in inflammatory breast tumors and provide the relationship between epigenetic changes and their contribution to the IBC origin and progression (Figure 1)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
