$Unique_ID{BRK01454}
$Pretitle{Ill Defined Symptoms and Rare Diseases, Neoplasms}
$Title{What Connection There is Between Paget's Disease and Breast Cancer?}
$Subject{Paget's breast bone}
$Volume{N-19, N-17, B-19, B-17}
$Log{
Management of Paget's Disease*0007801.scf}

Copyright (c) 1991   Tribune Media Services, Inc.


What Connection There is Between Paget's Disease and Breast Cancer?


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QUESTION:  Can you please tell me what connection there is between Paget's
Disease and breast cancer?  I know of Paget's as a bone disease, for which my
husband is now taking medication.  However we have reports of an aunt with the
same problem, and they are considering breast surgery.  We are totally
confused and hope you can clear this one up for us.

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ANSWER:  The connection is Sir James Paget, a British surgeon who lived from
1814 to 1899, and who wrote on a number of medical subjects including an
eczema of the breast nipple (Paget's I) and a bone growth problem called
osteitis deformans (Paget's II).  In describing the breast rash, Paget wrote
an article in 1874 for the St. Bartholomew Hospital Reporter, a publication
of the hospital with which he was associated for his entire life, and
correctly noted that this skin lesion was almost invariably associated with an
underlying mammary cancer.  It was a remarkable clinical observation by this
exceptionally alert surgeon/pathologist.  The rash is an oozing, scaly red
plaque with sharply marked edges.  It can provoke a burning sensation,
itchiness, or be sore and tender.  However a biopsy examination reveals the
typical Paget cells that may have entered into the skin from the cancer below.
It is almost always seen in women between the ages of 50 and 60, but another
form called Extramammary Paget's disease can be seen in men as well.  Another
form has also been described on the penis as well as the vulva.  The condition
is slowly progressive, and so surgery is advised for all cases where the
biopsy has been performed and diagnosed as positive for cancer cells.  The
extent of the surgery depends upon the size and location of the tumor, and the
condition is treated as any other breast cancer.  Here is another case where
the patient must remain alert, and seek help at once.  The early discovery of
the condition and the prompt and appropriate treatment gives the patient the
best chances of a complete recovery, and since this is Breast Cancer Awareness
Month, I found your question most interesting and an appropriate one to answer
at once.
ÿ
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The material contained here is "FOR INFORMATION ONLY" and should not replace 
the counsel and advice of your personal physician.  Promptly consulting your 
doctor is the best path to a quick and successful resolution of any medical 
problem.
