Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsSymptomsCausesDiagnosisTreatmentSurvival RatesPrevention
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Symptoms
Causes
Diagnosis
Treatment
Survival Rates
Prevention
Paget’s disease of the breast is a rare cancer of the nipple andareola(the darkened skin around the nipple) closely associated withductal carcinoma in situ(a cancer of milk ducts). Symptoms include flaking, cracking, discharge, and a flattening of the nipple.
Paget’s disease accounts for 1% to 4% of all breast cancers and mostly affects females during or aftermenopause.The disease can also affect younger females and, in rare cases, males. Treatments, includingmastectomy, tend to be effective, with some people living normal life expectancies.
This article describes the symptoms, causes, and treatment of Paget’s disease of the breast. It also explains the current survival rates based on the stage of cancer.
Verywell / Gary Ferster
What Are Symptoms of Paget’s Disease of the Breast?
Paget’s disease of the breast causes the skin on the nipple and the surrounding area to be red, sore, flaky, and scaly. Early on, these symptoms may come and go.
Symptoms usually worsen with time and may include:
What Causes Paget’s Disease of the Breast?
The cause of Paget’s disease of the breast is not known. According to the American Cancer Society, about 80% to 90% of people with Paget’s also haveductal carcinoma in situ(DCIS) orinvasive cancersomewhere else in the breast.
With DCIS,cancer cellsmay travel from a tumor in the milk ducts to the tissues of the nipple and areola.
Sometimes there is no underlying breast cancer. Researchers suggest that in these instances, nipple skin cells may spontaneously change into cancer cells, often for unknown reasons.
Risk Factors for Paget’s Disease
The same factors that increase the risk of any type of breast cancer can also increase the risk of Paget’s disease, including:
Causes and Risk Factors of Breast Cancer
How Paget’s Disease of the Breast Is Diagnosed
The diagnosis of Paget’s disease of the breast involves the same steps and procedures used for other forms of breast cancer, including:
Cancer Staging
If cancer is diagnosed, it will be staged based on theTNM classification system. Staging tells you how advanced the cancer is and helps direct the appropriate course of treatment.
Based on the findings, the disease will be classified as either:
How Is Paget’s Disease of the Breast Treated?
Surgery is the primary treatment option. This can take one of two forms:
After mastectomy, youroncologistmay recommend additional treatments to prevent breast cancer recurrence. These may involve one or a combination of the following:
How Breast Cancer Is Treated
Life Expectancy With Paget’s Disease of the Breast
If Paget’s disease of the breast is diagnosed and treated early, theprognosis(expected outcome) is excellent. Even when diagnosed at later stages, the prognosis remains largely optimistic.
With Paget’s disease of the breast, therelative five-year survivalis 87.1%. What this means is that 87 of every 100 people treated for Paget’s disease will live forat leastfive years. Some go on to live many years more and even have normal life expectancies.
One of the reasons for the high survival rate is that the symptoms of Paget’s disease tend to be prominent and less likely to be missed. For this reason, more people will seek treatment when the disease is in an early stage.
Can You Prevent Paget’s Disease of the Breast?
There are many risk factors that you can’t control, such as getting older, but there are some lifestyle modifications that mayreduce your risk of breast cancerand Paget’s disease.
These include:
In addition, discuss breast cancer screenings with your healthcare provider so that if you develop breast cancer, it can be detected as early as possible. Be familiar with how your breasts normally look and feel and report any changes to a healthcare provider immediately.
For High-Risk People
If you have a high risk of breast cancer, such as a family history or a gene mutation that raises your risk, there are additional steps you can take to try to prevent it and/or catch it early if it does occur. These options include:
Summary
8 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Gaurav A, Gupta V, Koul R, et al.Practical consensus recommendations for Paget’s disease in breast cancer.South Asian J Cancer. 2018;7(2):83-86. doi:10.4103/sajc.sajc_107_18Lopes Filho LL, Lopes IM, Lopes LR, et al.Mammary and extramammary Paget’s disease.An Bras Dermatol. 2015;90(2):225-231. doi:10.1590/abd1806-4841.20153189American Cancer Society.Paget’s disease of the breast.National Cancer Institute.Paget’s disease of the breast.National Organization for Rare Disorders.Paget’s disease of the breast.Daly B, Olopade OI.Race, ethnicity, and the diagnosis of breast cancer.JAMA. 2015;313(2):141-142. doi:10.1001/jama.2014.17323American Joint Committee on Cancer.Cancer staging system.American Cancer Society.Can I lower my risk of breast cancer?
8 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Gaurav A, Gupta V, Koul R, et al.Practical consensus recommendations for Paget’s disease in breast cancer.South Asian J Cancer. 2018;7(2):83-86. doi:10.4103/sajc.sajc_107_18Lopes Filho LL, Lopes IM, Lopes LR, et al.Mammary and extramammary Paget’s disease.An Bras Dermatol. 2015;90(2):225-231. doi:10.1590/abd1806-4841.20153189American Cancer Society.Paget’s disease of the breast.National Cancer Institute.Paget’s disease of the breast.National Organization for Rare Disorders.Paget’s disease of the breast.Daly B, Olopade OI.Race, ethnicity, and the diagnosis of breast cancer.JAMA. 2015;313(2):141-142. doi:10.1001/jama.2014.17323American Joint Committee on Cancer.Cancer staging system.American Cancer Society.Can I lower my risk of breast cancer?
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Gaurav A, Gupta V, Koul R, et al.Practical consensus recommendations for Paget’s disease in breast cancer.South Asian J Cancer. 2018;7(2):83-86. doi:10.4103/sajc.sajc_107_18Lopes Filho LL, Lopes IM, Lopes LR, et al.Mammary and extramammary Paget’s disease.An Bras Dermatol. 2015;90(2):225-231. doi:10.1590/abd1806-4841.20153189American Cancer Society.Paget’s disease of the breast.National Cancer Institute.Paget’s disease of the breast.National Organization for Rare Disorders.Paget’s disease of the breast.Daly B, Olopade OI.Race, ethnicity, and the diagnosis of breast cancer.JAMA. 2015;313(2):141-142. doi:10.1001/jama.2014.17323American Joint Committee on Cancer.Cancer staging system.American Cancer Society.Can I lower my risk of breast cancer?
Gaurav A, Gupta V, Koul R, et al.Practical consensus recommendations for Paget’s disease in breast cancer.South Asian J Cancer. 2018;7(2):83-86. doi:10.4103/sajc.sajc_107_18
Lopes Filho LL, Lopes IM, Lopes LR, et al.Mammary and extramammary Paget’s disease.An Bras Dermatol. 2015;90(2):225-231. doi:10.1590/abd1806-4841.20153189
American Cancer Society.Paget’s disease of the breast.
National Cancer Institute.Paget’s disease of the breast.
National Organization for Rare Disorders.Paget’s disease of the breast.
Daly B, Olopade OI.Race, ethnicity, and the diagnosis of breast cancer.JAMA. 2015;313(2):141-142. doi:10.1001/jama.2014.17323
American Joint Committee on Cancer.Cancer staging system.
American Cancer Society.Can I lower my risk of breast cancer?
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