Paget’s Disease of  The Breast

pagets disease of the breast

Paget’s disease of the breast or paget’s disease of the nipple is real though quite rare form of cancer on the skin of nipple and areola, accounting for about one percent of all cases of breast cancer.

Paget’s disease of the breast occurs almost exclusively in women , it is rarely can affect men. Most of women diagnosed with paget’s disease of the breast in their 50s but can occur at a younger or older age.

Cause of paget’s disease of the breast is unknown exactly, more than 95% of women who have it also have underlying breast cancer maybe an invansive cancer or ductal carcinoma in situ also called intraductal carcinoma. Ductal carcinoma cells spread through the milk ducts to the surface of the nipple.

Symptoms of early paget’s disease of the breast are redness, inflamed and flaking of the niplle skin, more advanced may also be  itching, ulceration, bleeding, burning and pain.

There are several tests  to diagnose paget’s disease of the breast : biopsy, mammography, ultrasound scan, and imprint or scrape cytology.

Treatment of  paget’s disease of the breast depends on the characteristics of the underlying breast cancer, surgery is the main treatment for paget’s disease. For some people may need further treatment adjuvant therapy, hormonal therapy, radiotherapy, chemotherapy and trastuzumab.