Postradiation breast erythema, skin thickening, and peau d’orange

Abstract

A 69-year-old woman developed erythema and skin thickening on her breast 1 year after ipsilateral breast cancer therapy, which included lumpectomy, adjuvant chemotherapy (adriamycin, cyclophosphamide, and paclitaxel), and whole breast radiation (42.5 Gy in 16 fractions with boost to 48 Gy). Within a month of presentation, there was erythema across the whole breast, fullness, nipple stretching, skin thickening, and peau d’orange (Fig 1). The deeper tissue was soft and pliable, with no palpable masses.