by Amber Hilton

Created on: March 01, 2011   Last Updated: March 05, 2011

Unrelated to Paget's disease of the bone, Paget's (PAJ-its) disease of the breast is a type of breast cancer that originates with the nipple and then moves outward along the areola and potentially spreads to the rest of the breast. This form of breast cancer is rare and most commonly occurs in women over 50. Even more rarely does Paget's disease of the breast occur on its own; in most cases, it is also associated with underlying ductal breast cancer.

Causes of Paget's disease of the breast

Unfortunately, the cause of this condition is unknown. However, due to the fact that Paget's disease of the breast rarely occurs without underlying ductal breast cancer, the most commonly accepted theory is that one causes the other. It has been suggested that cancer cells use the milk ducts as a pathway to travel from the underlying tumor to the nipple, and the cancer spreads outward from there.

Symptoms of Paget's disease of the breast

Paget's disease of the breast is often mistaken for dermatitis, eczema or another skin condition because its shares many of the same symptoms. The list of symptoms is long and varied, including scaly or flaky skin on the nipple, itching, redness, tingling or burning, or nipple discharge that is bloody or straw-colored. Crusty, hardened or oozing skin, sometimes mistaken for eczema, may also be present on the nipple and/or areola. Other symptoms include a breast lump, turned-in or flattened nipple, or a thickening of the skin on the breast. Again, the symptoms generally start on the nipple and then extend onto the skin of the areola or the rest of the breast, typically not spreading to any other areas of the body. In rare cases, Paget's disease of the breast affects only the areola.

The skin changes associated with Paget's disease of the breast may appear to get better or fluctuate in the beginning, which makes women less likely to report the condition to their doctor. According to experts at the Mayo Clinic, the average woman experiencing symptoms of Paget's disease of the breast isn't diagnosed until six to eight months after the advent of symptoms.

Paget's disease of the breast diagnosis and treatment

Your doctor can diagnose Paget's disease of the breast based on a clinical breast exam, physical exam and mammography (an X-ray of the breast). Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) may also be used to look for underlying breast cancer and a breast biopsy using nipple tissue is also typically performed. If it is determined that you have invasive

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