Which form of cancer presents with swelling, warmth, or erythema and skin thickening visible on a mammogram?

Inflammatory carcinoma is a rare and aggressive form of breast cancer that is characterized by distinctive symptoms such as swelling, warmth, erythema, and significant skin thickening. These clinical signs develop rapidly due to lymphatic obstruction caused by cancer cells infiltrating the skin and underlying tissues. On a mammogram, the typical findings may include increased density and changes in the overlying skin, which reflect the underlying pathology associated with this type of cancer.

In contrast to the other forms of cancer listed, inflammatory carcinoma is specifically noted for these acute inflammatory-like changes rather than a mass or localized lesions. For example, invasive lobular carcinoma typically presents as a subtle architectural distortion or a non-palpable mass, while ductal carcinoma in situ is often detected as microcalcifications without associated inflammation or skin changes. Medullary carcinoma, although it can present as a palpable mass, does not usually cause the significant skin symptoms commonly associated with inflammatory carcinoma. Thus, the presence of swelling, warmth, erythema, and skin thickening in conjunction with imaging findings makes inflammatory carcinoma the condition represented in the question.