Paget’s cancer

Paget’s cancer – is a special type of breast tumors that manifests with damage to the nipple externally. This disease belongs to rare forms of cancer and is often associated with non-invasive or invasive mammary carcinoma.

Diagnosis of this disease is based upon a clinical examination performed by a doctor, visualization techniques (mammography or ultrasound), and biopsy of the affected nipple area. Biopsy includes obtaining a sample of the affected skin area for analysis and examining it in detail under a microscope. 

The technique of a surgical biopsy is key – obtaining a piece of skin to its full depth allows to adequately examine the changes in tissues and establish an accurate diagnosis. 

Symptoms of the disease include eczematous involvement of the nipple-areola complex with no signs of allergic reaction in other areas of the skin. As a rule, Paget’s cancer does not cause painful sensations. 

This type of tumor is usually not dangerous to the life of the patient; however, a complete examination of the breast may detect an association of this type of disease with invasive carcinoma. In that case the treatment will be more complex and aggressive. 

Paget’s cancer treatment depends on discovering concomitant pathologies in the breast. 

Surgical treatment relies on mastectomy (complete removal of the breast with the affected nipple-areola complex) with simultaneous reconstruction of the shape of the breast with an implant, or central lumpectomy (a breast-conserving operation which includes removing the tumor within the margins of healthy tissues and closing the defect with the patient’s tissues). 

A patient may avoid radiation therapy if mastectomy is performed. Following a breast-conserving operation irradiation of the operated breast is performed as an additional stage of treatment and serves to lower the risk of local recurrence. 

If following the removal of an affected area of the breast, invasive carcinoma is found under a microscope then the treatment will match the stage and biological features of the detected tumor.