Symptoms include flaking, cracking, discharge, and a flattening of the nipple.
Treatments, includingmastectomy, tend to be effective, with some people living normal life expectancies.
This article describes the symptoms, causes, and treatment of Paget’s disease of the breast.
Verywell / Gary Ferster
It also explains the current survival rates based on the stage of cancer.
What Are Symptoms of Paget’s Disease of the Breast?
Early on, these symptoms may come and go.
Symptoms usually worsen with time and may include:
What Causes Paget’s Disease of the Breast?
The cause of Pagets disease of the breast is not known.
Sometimes there is no underlying breast cancer.
Staging tells you how advanced the cancer is and helps direct the appropriate course of treatment.
Surgery is the primary treatment option.
Many people will havenipple reconstructionafter lumpectomy and radiation are completed.
After mastectomy, youroncologistmay recommend additional treatments to prevent breast cancer recurrence.
Even when diagnosed at later stages, the prognosis remains largely optimistic.
With Paget’s disease of the breast, therelative five-year survivalis 87.1%.
Some go on to live many years more and even have normal life expectancies.
For this reason, more people will seek treatment when the disease is in an early stage.
The five-year survival rate for Paget’s disease also varies by the stage of cancer.
Be familiar with how your breasts normally look and feel and report any changes to a healthcare provider immediately.
This disease is mostly seen in females 40 to 60 years of age.
Symptoms include a flaking and cracking of the nipple, a noticeable lump, and a yellowish discharge.
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