• 13

Paget’s (PAJ-its) disease of the breast is a rare form of breast cancer. Paget’s disease of the breast starts on the nipple and extends to the dark circle of skin (areola) around the nipple.

It occurs most often in women older than age 50. Most women with Paget’s disease of the breast have underlying ductal breast cancer, either in situ — meaning in its original place — or, less commonly, invasive breast cancer. Only in rare cases is Paget’s disease of the breast confined to the nipple itself.

Clinical Manifestations

Possible signs and symptoms of Paget’s disease of the breast include:

  • Flaky or scaly skin on your nipple.
  • Crusty, oozing or hardened skin resembling eczema on the nipple, areola or both
  • Itching
  • Redness
  • A tingling or burning sensation
  • Straw-colored or bloody nipple discharge
  • Ulceration
  • A flattened or turned-in (inverted) nipple
  • A lump in the breast
  • Thickening skin on the breast

Paget’s disease of the breast usually occur in one breast only. The disease typically starts in the nipple and may spread to the areola and other areas of the breast.

Lymph node metastases occur more often when the lesion is associated with an underlying mass.

When to see a doctor

Be aware of any changes in your breasts. If you feel a lump in your breast, or if you experience itching or skin irritation that persists for more than a month, make an appointment with your doctor.

If you’re being treated for a skin injury on your breast, and the condition doesn’t go away with treatment, make a follow-up appointment with your doctor. You may need a biopsy — a procedure that collects a small tissue sample for microscopic analysis — to evaluate the affected area.

 

Call Now Button