Overall and cancer-specific survival in patients with breast Paget disease: A population-based study.

Paget disease of the breast is an uncommon malignant tumor with an inferior outcome. Therefore, establishing nomograms to predict the survival outcomes of breast Paget disease patients is urgent. Clinicopathological and follow-up data of breast Paget disease patients diagnosed between 2010 and 2016 were retrieved through the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Result (SEER) database. The significant factors were screened out, and then those factors were utilized to build two valuable nomograms. The discriminative ability of nomograms was investigated using concordance-index (C-index), while the predictive accuracy and benefits were evaluated using calibration curves and decision curve analysis. Finally, a total of 417 breast Paget disease patients were enrolled. Tumor grade, histological type, American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) stage, surgery, chemotherapy, and marital status were confirmed as independent overall survival (OS)-related factors; tumor grade, histological type, AJCC stage, and age were associated with independent cancer-specific survival (CSS)-related factors. The values of the C-index for OS nomogram acquired were 0.827 and 0.745 for training and validation cohorts, respectively. Meanwhile, the corresponding values of the C-index to CSS nomogram were 0.890 and 0.655, respectively. The calibration curves and decision curve analysis indicated that both nomograms had an excellent performance. Finally, the nomogram-based risk stratification system indicated that all breast Paget disease patients could be classified into low- and high-risk groups and showed distinct outcomes. In conclusion, two valuable nomograms incorporating various clinicopathological indicators were established for breast Paget disease patients. These prognostic nomograms provide accurate prognostic assessment for breast Paget disease patients and help clinicians select appropriate treatment strategies.

Clinicopathological features of mammary Paget's disease: a single-center experience in Turkey

Background/aim: Paget's disease (PD) of the breast is a very rare presentation of breast malignancy, accounting for 1%­3% of all primary breast tumors. We aimed to evaluate and compare the clinicopathological features and clinical outcome of PD accompanied by in situ carcinoma and invasive cancer. Materials and methods: We used the archive of our pathology laboratory retrospectively for age, sex, history of surgery, histopathological findings, treatment modalities, and follow-up information. We used the Kaplan­Meier method for survival analysis. Results: There were 46 female patients diagnosed with PD. In 39 (84.7%) patients, invasive carcinoma accompanied PD, while 7 (15.3%) patients had ductal carcinoma in situ. The median age at diagnosis was 53.5 years. The median follow-up period was 47 months. Of the 39 invasive carcinoma, 10 (25.6%) died during the follow-up period. Invasive ductal carcinoma group had a mean overall survival of rate of 57.8 ± 6.6 months. According to univariate analysis, only the tumor type was found to impact overall survival (p < 0.001). Conclusions: The current study displayed the tumor type as the only parameter affecting overall survival in the invasive carcinoma group. Although it was not statistically significant, breast cancers accompanied by PD were found to be predominantly advanced stage tumors, high grade, hormone receptor negative, and HER2 positive.

Paget disease of the breast: A national retrospective analysis of the US population.

BACKGROUND: Paget's disease of the breast is rare. The National Cancer Database (NCDB) is one of the largest tumor databases in the United States. METHODS: We queried the NCDB to identify male and female patients with Paget's disease of the breast who were treated from January 1, 2004, through December 31, 2015. No age limitations were applied. Descriptive statistical analysis and survival analysis were performed. RESULTS: We analyzed the demographic, disease, and treatment characteristics of 7,191 patients with Paget's disease of the breast. The median (range) age was 64 (20-90) years. Only 2.1% of patients were men, and 85.4% were white. The most common treatment was complete mastectomy (65.3%), followed by partial mastectomy (30.3%). Tumor destruction was performed in 0.1% of patients, and 4.3% of patients did not undergo any surgery. We examined survival in the subset of 6,864 patients who were treated surgically with complete mastectomy or partial mastectomy. The 5-year survival rate after surgery was 82.5% (95% CI, 81.1%-83.9%). Factors associated with shorter survival were older age, black race/ethnicity, higher tumor grade, regional lymph node metastasis, higher cancer stage, metastatic cancer, and larger tumor size. CONCLUSIONS: Paget's disease of the breast usually affects patients older than 60 years, and the most common treatment is complete mastectomy. The 5-year overall survival rate of patients with Paget's disease of the breast is greater than 80% but is lower among older and black people.

Comparative study of breast cancer with or without concomitant Paget disease: An analysis of the SEER database.

BACKGROUND: Most mammary Paget disease (MPD) is associated with underlying in situ or invasive breast cancer. The objective of this study was to compare the clinicopathological characteristics and survival outcomes between breast cancer with Paget disease (PD) and breast cancer alone. METHODS: From the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database, 2000-2015, of the US National Cancer Institute, we identified 1569 women who had PD with invasive ductal carcinoma (PD-IDC) and 1489 women who had PD with ductal carcinoma in situ (PD-DCIS). Independent demographic and clinicopathological variables as well as survival outcomes of these patients were compared to patients with the corresponding breast cancer without concomitant PD. RESULTS: PD-IDC and PD-DCIS both had worse survival outcomes and poorer tumor characteristics than the corresponding disease without PD. Contrary to in the breast cancer alone groups, in the breast cancer with PD groups, the HR status (P = 0.182 in PD-IDC and P = 0.371 in PD-DCIS), HER2 status (P = 0.788 in PD-IDC and P = 0.643 in PD-DCIS), and combined molecular subtype (P = 0.196 in PD-IDC and P = 0.853 in PD-DCIS) were not found to affect disease prognosis. After matching tumor characteristics and treatment approaches, PD-IDC as well as PD-DCIS exhibited no significant difference in disease prognosis with corresponding IDC and DCIS. Finally, by comparative analysis, a kind of PD-DCIS (ICD-O-3 code 8543/3) showed many invasive behaviors (31.8% of 8543/3 patients had stage I-III cancer) and was associated with worse survival outcomes than the other type of PD-DCIS. CONCLUSIONS: Breast cancer with concomitant PD was associated with more aggressive tumor characteristics and worse survival outcomes. The HR status, HER2 status, and combined molecular subtype could not affect the prognosis of breast cancer with PD. Moreover, a portion of the PD-DCIS cases were invasive breast cancer cases that required special treatment.

Breast-Conserving Surgery in Patients With Mammary Paget's Disease.

BACKGROUND: We aimed to analyze the association between Paget's disease (PD) and breast cancer (BC) subtypes and compare the effect of breast-conserving surgery (BCS) as a local treatment with mastectomy for PD. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data of patients with histologic type International Classification of Diseases-0-3 8540-8543 who were treated from 1973 to 2014 were retrieved from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database of the National Cancer Institute. A chi-square test was used to identify differences in categorical data among different groups. Overall survival (OS) was analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier method, log-rank test, Cox proportional hazards models, sequential landmark analysis, and propensity score-matched analysis. RESULTS: The study cohort included 5398 patients. Triple-negative BC accounted for the fewest patients with PD-only (1/22, 4.54%), Paget's disease-ductal carcinoma in situ (PD-DCIS) (3/48, 6.25%), and Paget's disease-invading ductal carcinoma (PD-IDC) (23/352, 6.53%). According to the results of the log-rank test and Cox analysis, the 10-year OS rates were similar for the BCS and mastectomy subgroups among patients with PD-DCIS or PD-IDC. Furthermore, there were no significant differences in survival benefits among the different surgeries after propensity score matching. Landmark analyses for OS of patients with PD-DCIS or PD-IDC surviving more than 1, 3, and 5 y showed no significant differences in survival. There were statistical differences in 10-year OS rates for patients with PD-DCIS or PD-IDC who underwent radiation therapy, or not, following BCS (both, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: For patients with PD-DCIS or PD-IDC, breast conservation therapy with lumpectomy and radiation is an effective local treatment strategy, compared with mastectomy.

[Clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis analysis with Paget's disease of the breast].

Objective: The aim of this study was to explore the clinicopathologic characteristics and prognostic factors of Paget's disease. Methods: 137 patients with Paget's disease of the breast who were diagnosed in Cancer Hospital Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences between January 2007 and May 2016 were identified and included in the study, including 134 females and 3 males. Results: The average age at onset of the disease was 51.8 years(range, 27-78 years). Among the 137 patients, 7 cases were Paget's disease without any other underlying malignancy, who were alive during the follow-up period. The other 130 patients were diagnosed with Paget's disease and underlying ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) or (and) with an invasive carcinoma. The positive expression rates of estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR) and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER-2) were 29.2%(40/137), 38.0%(52/137)and 78.1%(107/137), respectively. The two-year and five-year overall survival were 99.0%, 96.0%, and disease-free survival of two-year and five-year were 97.6%, 92.8%, respectively for all 137 patients. On survival analysis, longer course of disease, HER-2 positivity, tumor stage(T1-T4), and axillary lymph node metastasis were significantly associated with overall survival. Conclusions: Paget's disease of the breast is a slowly progressive malignancy with good prognosis. A longer course of disease, HER-2 positivity, tumor stage, axillary lymph node metastasis and distant metastasis were significantly associated with poor prognosis.

Clinicopathological characteristics and survival outcomes in Paget disease: a SEER population-based study.

The objective of this study was to investigate the clinicopathological characteristics and survival outcomes of Paget disease (PD), Paget disease concomitant infiltrating duct carcinoma (PD-IDC), and Paget disease concomitant intraductal carcinoma (PD-DCIS). We identified 501,631 female patients from 2000 to 2013 in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. These identified patients included patients with PD (n = 469), patients with PD-IDC (n = 1832), and patients with PD-DCIS (n = 1130) and infiltrating ductal carcinoma (IDC) (n = 498,076). Then, we compared the clinical characteristics of these patients with those who were diagnosed with IDC during the same period. The outcomes of these subtypes of breast carcinoma were different. Based on the overall survival, the patients with PD-IDC had the worst prognosis (5-year survival rate = 84.1%). The PD-DCIS had the best prognosis (5-year survival rate = 97.5%). Besides, among patients with Paget disease, the one who was married had a better prognosis than who were not. And, according to our research, the marital status was associated with the hormone receptor status in patients with PD-IDC. Among three subtypes of Paget disease, patients with PD-IDC had the worst prognosis. Besides, patients who were unmarried had worse outcomes. And the marital status of patients with PD-IDC is associated with hormone status. The observation underscores the importance of individualized treatment.

Paget's disease of the nipple with parenchymal ductal carcinoma in situ is associated with worse prognosis than Paget's disease alone.

Paget's disease of the nipple is often found in conjunction with underlying ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS). In isolation, Paget's disease of the nipple, like DCIS, confers an excellent prognosis for survival. Our objective was to determine if Paget's disease identified with synchronous parenchymal DCIS has as favorable an outcome as Paget's disease alone. We analyzed a prospectively maintained pathology database and medical records to identify all patients diagnosed with Paget's disease of the nipple between June 1996 and December 2011. Overall survival was analyzed using Kaplan-Maier statistics and Cox proportional hazards modeling. Seventy-four patients were identified with Paget's disease: five (6%) with isolated Paget's of the nipple, 22 (30%) associated with parenchymal DCIS, and 47 (64%) associated with invasive cancer (± DCIS). Unexpectedly, patients with Paget's disease and DCIS had a worse prognosis than those with Paget's disease alone. Survival correlated with pathologic stage at diagnosis. Among the 16 deaths, median survival was 2.8 years (range, 0.1 to 15.2 years). Median follow-up for the entire cohort was 4.2 years (range, 0.1 to 15.2 years). Thus, Paget's disease with parenchymal DCIS may confer worse survival than isolated Paget's disease of the nipple, suggesting the difficulty of identifying invasive carcinoma within a background of DCIS.

Patients with nipple-areola Paget's disease and underlying invasive breast carcinoma have very poor survival: a matched cohort study.

Paget's disease (PD) of the breast is a rare disease. The survival rate of PD was reported to depend on the characteristics of the underlying carcinoma. This study aimed to investigate the characteristics and survival rate of PD patients with underlying invasive breast carcinoma (IBC). Fifty-two patients were diagnosed with PD and an associated IBC from 2001 to 2005 in Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center. Twenty-four (46.2%) had no clinical manifestation of PD and were diagnosed unexpectedly by a histologic examination. The 52 patients were all recruited in this study as the PD group. They tended to have greater chances of lymph node involvement (53.8% vs. 35.7%), lower hormone receptor expression (34.6% vs. 69.7%), higher human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) expression (76.9% vs. 21.3%), and worse survival (5-year relapse-free survival (RFS) 52.2% vs. 86.7%, P<0.01; breast cancer-specific overall survival (OS) 62.1% vs. 91.8%, P<0.01) when compared with patients diagnosed with IBC. A matched study was then performed to investigate whether the poor survival of patients in the PD group was due to the unfavorable prognosis of the underlying IBC. One hundred and fifty-six (3∶1 ratio of controls to PD patients) patients diagnosed with IBC only were recruited into the matched group. The match was conducted according to four variables: dimension of IBC, lymph node status, hormone receptor status and HER2 status. The 5-year RFS (52.2% vs. 81.4%, P<0.01) and OS (62.1% vs. 85.9%, P<0.01) were both lower for patients in the PD group than those in the matched group. Patients with PD and underlying IBC had poor survival. Their survival was worse than that of patients with IBC of similar stage and characteristics. For patients with no clinical PD manifestation who were histologically diagnosed as PD, survival might be worse compared to patients with clinically diagnosed PD.

Effect of Paget's disease on survival in breast cancer: an exploratory study.

OBJECTIVE: To explore whether Paget's disease (PD) has an effect on outcome in patients with breast cancer. DESIGN: Retrospective analysis of comprehensive pathology database, medical records, and slides of samples showing pathologic features. SETTING: UMass Memorial Health Care. PATIENTS: All patients with breast cancer and PD with records in a prospectively maintained database between January 1, 1990, and December 31, 2008, were identified. Each participant was matched (criteria: age within 5 years, year of treatment, and stage of breast cancer) with 2 controls (1:2 ratio). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Overall and disease-free survival were analyzed using Kaplan-Meier statistics and Cox proportional hazards modeling, accounting for matching in the latter analyses by using robust standard error estimates. RESULTS: Mean (SD) follow-up was 47 (33) months. Treatment involved mastectomy in 29 (91%) PD vs 16 (25%) non-PD patients (P < .001), radiotherapy in 14 (44%) PD vs 53 (83%) non-PD patients (P < .001), and hormonal therapy in 14 (44%) PD vs 33 (52%) non-PD patients (P = .004). Biological markers were not significantly different except for ERBB2 (formerly HER2 or HER2/neu) overexpression in 14 (44%) PD vs 16 (25%) non-PD patients (P = .008). The PD group had an overall 5-year survival of 81.2% vs 93.8% of the non-PD group (Kaplan-Meier log-rank, P = .03). The unadjusted hazard ratio for the PD vs non-PD group was 5.31 (95% CI, 1.74-16.27; P = .003). The corresponding hazard ratio after adjusting for local and systemic treatment was 2.26 (95% CI, 0.46-11.06; P = .32). CONCLUSIONS: These exploratory data show that PD may have a negative effect on breast cancer survival. This finding needs to be substantiated in larger data sets.

Feasibility of breast conserving surgery for Paget's disease.

INTRODUCTION: The standard treatment for Paget's disease of the breast is mastectomy. Since it is frequently associated with underlying carcinoma, many surgeons are reluctant to choose breast conserving surgery for Paget's disease. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed a series of 59 patients with Paget's disease who had undergone mastectomy at the National Cancer Center Hospital between 1963 and 2009. RESULTS: In 55 of 59 cases (93%) there was underlying carcinoma in the ipsilateral breast. Clinically, 27 (46%) patients had no evidence of other tumors, but 23 (85%) had underlying histopathologically confirmed carcinoma. Based on the data from this subset, cone excision with a 3-cm radius and a 4-cm radius could completely resect any underlying malignancy in 74% and 85% of patients, respectively. CONCLUSION: As Paget's disease is frequently accompanied by underlying intraductal and/or invasive carcinoma, patients should be carefully selected for breast conserving surgery.

The routine immunohistochemical evaluation in Paget disease of the nipple.

Paget disease (PD) of the nipple with coexisting intraductal (DCIS) and invasive carcinoma of the breast comprises 0.6-1.8% of all malignant epithelial neoplasms of this organ. Unlike invasive ductal carcinoma, there are many controversies concerning histological features of PD and the significance of the immunohistochemical characteristics of this neoplasm, which limits the optimal treatment protocols. Therefore, we decided to verify the immunohistochemical markers of PD basing on the retrospective analysis of postoperative material from 69 patients treated surgically. Microscopic examination revealed partial (7 cases) or total (62 cases) replacement of the squamous epithelium of the nipple with nests of atypical glandular cells spreading in an area ranging from 0.2 to 2.5 cm. DCIS coexisting with the PD lesions was present in all examined patients, and infiltrating carcinoma occurred in 31 (44.9%) patients. Both intraepidermal and DCIS components presented c-erbB2 overexpression. Positive estrogen and progesterone receptor staining was observed only in 7 (10.1%) and 2 (2.7%) tumours, respectively. Ki-67 proliferation index of PD cells ranged from 10% to 30%, whereas in DCIS it varied from 4% to 20%. The value of Ki-67 index exceeding 25% in the intraepidermal component of PD was associated with worse overall survival rate.

Predictors of axillary lymph node involvement in women with T3 breast cancers: analysis of 1988-2003 SEER data.

BACKGROUND: We investigated characteristics associated with axillary lymph node (LN) status in patients with T3 breast cancers and hypothesized that LN status is an independent predictor of survival. METHODS: Characteristics associated with axillary LN metastasis among women with T3 breast cancers were identified from the 1988-2003 Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. The primary outcome was breast cancer-specific mortality. Cox models were used to calculate adjusted hazard ratios (aHR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). RESULTS: A total of 12,778 patients with T3 breast cancers were analyzed (8201 LN+, 3695 LN-, 882 unknown). LN+ patients were more likely to be <50 y, married, and have ER+/PR+, grade 3 invasive ductal cancers (P<0.01 for each). Most patients underwent mastectomy (87.4%). Post-mastectomy radiation was more commonly used in LN+ patients (P<0.01). LN+ patients had higher breast cancer-specific mortality (36.2% versus 16.4%, P<0.01) and were more likely to die during the follow-up period (aHR = 2.87, 95% CI: 2.62-3.15) compared with LN- patients. CONCLUSIONS: Analysis of the SEER database indicated that several patient and tumor characteristics predict a higher likelihood of axillary LN involvement in patients with T3 breast cancers. LN status was an independent predictor of survival in women with T3 breast cancers.

Serum metastasin mRNA is an important survival predictor in breast cancer.

This study investigates the possible prognostic role of serum metastasin messenger RNA (mRNA) in breast carcinoma as a non-invasive screening tool, and determines metastasin mRNA in the serum of breast cancer patients with high sensitivity (85%) and specificity (100%). A significant difference (P = 0.05) was observed between serum metastasin mRNA and the number of involved lymph nodes. Patients with higher expression of serum metastasin showed poor survival (six times worse) than those with lower levels. Patients negative for serum metastasin mRNA suffered recurrences, while those positive for serum metastasin mRNA suffered distant metastases. The results of this study suggest that serum metastasin mRNA represents an important survival marker in breast carcinoma.

Paget's disease of the nipple in a population based cohort.

BACKGROUND: Paget's disease of the nipple is a rare form of breast cancer characterised by the presence of intraepidermal tumour cells. It is often associated with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) and/or invasive cancer in the breast parenchyma. We have studied the presentation and symptoms of Paget's disease, local control and breast cancer corrected survival following breast conserving surgery or mastectomy. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The study is based on 223 women with histological verified Paget's disease of the nipple diagnosed between 1976 and 2001 at 13 Swedish hospitals. All women s charts were reviewed. All recurrences and deaths were registered. A comparison was made for differences in breast cancer-corrected survival (BCS) and disease-free survival (DFS) in univariate analyses. RESULTS: The median follow-up was 12 (4-28) years. In a vast majority (98%), the main presenting symptom was eczema or ulceration of the nipple. The diagnosis of an underlying breast malignancy was established in 79% of the women before surgery. A cone excision of the nipple-areola complex was performed in 43 women and 169 women had a mastectomy. Eleven elderly women were not operated. One hundred and seventeen women had a non-invasive Paget of which 40 had an underlying DCIS. Invasive cancer was seen in 68 women. In 38 cases the histopathological report did not state if the tumour was invasive or not. Thirty-three women died from breast cancer. In operated women BCS and DFS at 10 years were 87% and 82%, respectively. The 10-year BCS for non-operated patients (n = 11) was 34%. At 10 years, the cumulative local recurrence rate was 9%, 8% among women undergoing mastectomy and 16% among those treated with breast conserving surgery. In univariate analysis the type of surgery, cone excision or mastectomy, had no statistically significant impact on BCS or DFS. Risk factors for breast cancer death and recurrence were having an underlying invasive cancer compared with an in situ carcinoma and having a palpable tumour in the breast. CONCLUSION: The main presenting symptoms were eczema or ulceration of the nipple. Patients with non invasive Pagets disease of the nipple had an excellent cancer outcome. Selected patients with Paget's disease of the nipple were treated with breast conserving surgery with survival rates similar to those achieved with mastectomy.

Paget's disease in the era of sentinel lymph node biopsy.

BACKGROUND: Paget's disease of the breast is an uncommon cancer. "Breast cancer" management has evolved to include sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB). Our objective is to determine utilization of SLNB in the surgical algorithm of Paget's disease. METHODS: After institutional review board approval, a database review of patients with Paget's disease was conducted. Patient demographics, tumor characteristics, treatment including use of SLNB, and survival were reviewed. Patient characteristics and outcomes were analyzed by using contingency table chi-square, pooled t tests, and log-rank tests for comparisons. RESULTS: Fifty-four patients with Paget's disease were identified and divided into 2 cohorts (18 no SLNB and 36 SLNB). The mean age was 66 years for the no-SLNB group and 60 years for the SLNB group (P = .17). Paget's disease only was present in 33%, Paget's disease + DCIS in 41%, and Paget's disease + invasive cancer in 26%. The mean invasive tumor size was 1.62 cm in the no-SLNB group and 1.59 cm in the SLNB group (P = .96). For invasive disease, ER/PR status was similar, but Her2 was more likely to be overexpressed in SLNB (P = .04). Surgery choice ranged from "no surgery" to lumpectomy to mastectomy. Axillary staging was performed in 45 of 54 patients, with 11% in both cohorts having nodal disease. A sentinel lymph node was identified in 97% of patients. Five-year overall and disease-free survival was 100% in the no-SLNB group and 88% in the SLNB group (P = .97) and 76% in the no-SLNB group and 84% in the SLNB group (P = .88), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Paget's disease remains rare but should be treated similar to other "breast cancer." SLNB should be performed to evaluate the axilla when invasive disease is identified or a mastectomy is planned.

Paget's disease of the breast: there is a role for breast-conserving therapy.

BACKGROUND: The optimal surgical management of Paget's disease of the breast remains to be defined. Mastectomy has been the standard of care, but several institutions have recently advocated breast-conserving surgery, particularly for patients with minimal disease. In an effort to develop rational treatment guidelines, we examined our institutional experience with Paget's disease of the breast. METHODS: Patients with Paget's disease of the breast who had surgical therapy at our institution between 1949 and 1993 were reviewed. In addition to patient and tumor characteristics, charts were reviewed for treatment modalities, locoregional recurrence patterns, and survival. Subgroups were compared for differences in survival in both univariate and multivariate analyses. RESULTS: A total of 104 patients met the study criteria. The most common presenting symptoms were nipple discharge and eczematous changes of the nipple/areola complex. Ninety-seven patients (93.2%) had an underlying invasive or noninvasive cancer associated with Paget's disease. Ninety-two patients (88.5%) underwent mastectomy, and 12 (11.5%) had a breast-conserving procedure. On univariate analysis, patients with age <60 years at diagnosis, stage II disease, positive lymph nodes, invasive disease, or a palpable mass had significantly lower 10-year disease-specific and recurrence-free survival. There were four locoregional recurrences (three after mastectomy and one after breast conservation). There were no significant differences in overall, disease-specific, or recurrence-free survival according to the type of surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Paget's disease of the breast is almost always associated with an underlying breast cancer. Breast-conserving approaches result in local control and survival rates similar to those achieved with mastectomy.

Feasibility of breast-conserving surgery for patients with breast carcinoma associated with nipple discharge.

BACKGROUND: Few studies in the literature address the surgical management of patients with breast carcinoma who present with associated nipple discharge. The purpose of the current study was to determine the feasibility of breast-conserving surgery (BCS) for these patients. METHODS: The medical records of patients who presented with pathologic nipple discharge and underwent diagnostic or curative surgery between January 1990 and December 2002 were retrospectively reviewed. RESULTS: A total of 188 patients presented with nipple discharge during the study period. Of those, 47 had breast carcinoma. One patient had metachronous bilateral nipple discharge associated with malignant disease. Therefore, medical records associated with a total of 48 cases were reviewed. The median patient age was 52 years (range, 29-87 years), and the median follow-up duration was 45 months (range, 6-109 months). Twenty-nine patients had ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), 14 had Stage I disease, 3 had Stage II disease, and 2 had Stage III disease. Twenty-four patients were ultimately treated with mastectomy. For 16 of these patients, mastectomy was required because extensive disease was found in reexcisional segmental mastectomy specimens. Among patients with Stage 0 or I disease, the incidence of occult nipple-areola complex (NAC) involvement was 16% (3 of 19 patients). Twenty-four patients were ultimately treated with BCS with (n = 13) or without (n = 11) adjuvant radiotherapy. Local disease recurrence was noted at 14, 28, and 40 months, respectively, in 3 patients who declined adjuvant radiotherapy after BCS for DCIS. Among patients treated with BCS, comedonecrosis, multifocality, and the absence of adjuvant radiotherapy were associated with decreased local recurrence-free survival (P = 0.0005, P = 0.045, and P = 0.013, respectively). However, disease-free survival (mean +/- standard error) was similar for patients who underwent mastectomy and patients who underwent BCS (90 +/- 6 months; 95% confidence interval [CI], 78-101 months vs. 82 +/- 6 months; 95% CI, 69-94 months; P = 0.528). One patient with Stage I disease died of distant metastases at 99 months. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with breast carcinoma accompanied by nipple discharge presented primarily with early-stage breast carcinoma associated with DCIS. Occult NAC involvement was not an uncommon finding in patients with early-stage breast carcinoma. Nonetheless, BCS can be performed safely if negative margins are achieved and if appropriate adjuvant radiotherapy or systemic therapy is administered.