Paget's disease of the breast

Abstract

Two‐hundred and fourteen cases of histologically proven Paget's disease of the breast were seen at Memorial Hospital during the period 1950 through 1968. Ninety‐six patients were without palpable masses, clinically, and 113 had Paget's disease of the nipple with palpable masses. Two thirds of the patients without palpable masses, clinically, had noninfiltrating carcinoma, and the majority of them had negative nodes in the axilla; accordingly, they have a good prognosis. Ninety percent of the patients with palpable masses had infiltrating carcinoma, and two thirds of them had positive nodes in the axilla. According to this study, modified radical mastectomy is the treatment of choice for the patient who does not have a palpable mass. Radical mastectomy should be performed on the patient who has a palpable mass. Copyright © 1970 American Cancer Society