Pagets disease of the breast

About

Sir James Paget in 1874 was the first person to explain about the Paget's disease of the breast. He described the disease to be a chronic eczematous rash affecting the skin of the nipple and areola. The disease is also seen in close association with the intraductal carcinoma of the underlying mammary gland. In 1881 Thin reported his histological findings of the Paget's disease. Paget's disease of the breast occurs mainly in the women but is rarely seen in males also (1%).

Paget's disease of the breast - Introduction

It is a rare type of breast cancer. It is otherwise called as the mammary Paget's disease (MPD). It occurs in 1-4% of all people suffering from breast cancer.

The underlying breast cancer can be either an infiltrating ductal carcinoma (90%) or ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS)(10%). In this disease there is an extensive proliferation of the Paget's cells (malignant proliferation of the epithelial cells present in the epidermis). Cancerous cells from the breast tumor break off and form Paget's cells that pass through the milk ducts and reach the nipples or the epithelial cells of the nipple spontaneously become cancerous Paget's cell. Paget's disease of the breast is not to be confused with the Pagets disease of the bone.