Paget's Disease of the Breast

Kim, Hyun Tae; Lee, Jin Yong

Abstract

PURPOSE: Paget's disease of the breast (PDB) occurs in approximately 1~3% of all primary breast carcinomas. This study aimed to determine the optimal surgical treatments for PDB in this study.
METHODS
The medical records of 16 patients with PDB who had been treated between January 1986 and December 1998 were clinically reviewed retrospectively.
Results
13 patients had nipple changes consistent with clinical Paget' disease (CPD) including 8 who had an associated breast mass, and 5 who had no associated mass. Of the 13 patients with CPD, 12 were treated with a modified radical mastectomy while 1 was treated with a radical mastectomy. Breast cancer (BC) was found in all of 13 patients (100%) with CPD. The BC was centrally located in 46% of patients including 38% in CPD associated with the mass and 60% in CPD not associated with the mass. Out of 8 CPD patients associated with the mass, 7 (88%) had invasive cancer, 1 (12%) had a ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), and 2 (25%) had pathologic axillary nodes (PAN). The 5 year survival rate was 87.5%. Of the 5 CPD patients not associated with the mass, 4 (80%) had an invasive cancer, 1 (20%) had a DCIS and none had PAN. Their 5 year survival rate is 100%.
CONCLUSION
All the patients with CPD had an associated BC. BC is more frequently centrally located in the CPD not associated with the mass (60%) than those associated with the mass (38%). Contrarily, the BC in CPD that was not associated with the mass was located more peripherally (40%). Therefore, the treatment of patients with CPD must be individualized in order to avoid under or overtreatment.