Paget's disease of the nipple
Overview
Paget's disease of the nipple, also known as Paget's disease of the breast, is a rare condition associated with breast cancer.
Symptoms
Paget's disease of the nipple always starts in the nipple and may extend to the areola. It appears as a red, scaly rash on the skin of the nipple and areola. The affected skin is often sore and inflamed, and it can be itchy or cause a burning sensation. The nipple can sometimes be ulcerated. The rash is often similar in appearance to other skin conditions, such aseczemaorpsoriasis. If you scratch it, or if it's left untreated, it can bleed, become ulcerated or scab over. If you're experiencing itchiness, burning or bleeding but the nipple looks normal and is not red or scaly, it's unlikely to be Paget's disease of the nipple. However, you should still have it checked by a doctor. Around half of all women diagnosed with Paget's disease of the nipple have a lump behind the nipple. In 9 out of 10 cases this is an invasive breast cancer. Invasive cancer is where cancerous cells invade the surrounding breast tissue. Some women with Paget's disease have invasive breast cancer but do not have a lump. However, most women with Paget's disease who do not have a lump have non-invasive cancer. This is where the cancerous cells are contained in 1 or more areas of the breast and have not spread.
Causes
The cause of Paget's disease of the nipple is unknown. Some women appear to be more at risk of developing breast cancer, but not specifically Paget's disease. There are no known causes that lead to a specific type of breast cancer. In terms of risk factors, you're more likely to develop breast cancer if you: are older – the risk of developing breast cancer increases with agehave close relatives with breast cancerhave had breast cancer beforehave had a type of benign (non-cancerous) breast disease before – certain types of benign breast disease may be associated with an increased risk of breast cancer, but this is only seen in a very small number of womenare overweight or living with obesity, particularly if you've been through the menopause (you can use theBMI calculatorto check if you're a healthy weight)drink a lot of alcohol – your risk can increase with theamount of alcohol you drink Read more about the risk factors for breast cancer.