Breast Surgery Specialist Stephanie Valente, DO, discusses the diagnosis and treatment of Paget’s disease, a rare form of ductal carcinoma in situ that may look like eczema or psoriasis of the nipple and areola.

Stage 0 therefore applies exclusively to noninvasive ductal lesions (and pure Paget disease without underlying invasive or in situ carcinoma). This formal TNM assignment anchors both clinical communication and registry reporting.

Find out more about Paget’s The Paget's Association is a national UK charity providing information and support to all those affected by Paget’s Disease of Bone. The Association funds quality research, raises awareness and supports professionals to achieve excellence in care and research.

While it is rare to see or feel noticeable symptoms with DCIS, an exception is in Paget’s disease of the nipple, which may produce noticeable signs and symptoms.

According to the American Cancer Society, about one in five new breast cancers will be DCIS, and nearly all women with this type can be treated. However, sometimes it can become an invasive...

Paget disease is a rare malignancy that involves the nipple and areola and infiltrates the skin of the nipple by adenocarcinoma. It is essential to diagnose it correctly, as more than 90% of Paget disease cases are associated with underlying breast cancer.

If tests show that you have Paget disease and ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), your treatment will be like that of someone with DCIS. However, you may have more extensive surgery to the nipple to remove Paget cells.

If Paget disease is found, most often it means that there is DCIS or invasive carcinoma (cancer) in the underlying breast tissue. When Paget disease is found on a needle or punch biopsy, the doctor will usually want to remove the area of Paget disease completely and to look for DCIS or cancer nearby.

One theory is that Paget's disease of the breast starts in the breast tissue. Breast cancer might form in the breast tissue and then spread through the milk ducts to the nipple.

Over the past decade, research on the topic of DCIS has focused on the possibility of tailoring treatment for patients according to their risk for progression and recurrence, which is based on clinicopathologic, biomolecular and genetic factors.