Symptoms
On average, a woman may experience signs and symptoms for six to eight months before a diagnosis is made.
Paget's disease's symptoms may vary based on the stage of the disease. However, the main symptoms that can occur in Paget's disease include flaky or scaly skin on the nipple, straw-colored or bloody nipple discharge, skin and nipple changes in only one breast or the flattened nipples. Patients may also experience crusty, oozing or hardened skin resembling eczema, on the nipple, areola or both and fluctuating skin changes early on, making it appear as if the skin is healing on its own. Some patients complain of burning sensations on the nipples or breasts. These symptoms usually occur in more advanced stages, when serious destruction of the skin often prompts the patient to consult. Lumps or masses in the breast occur in 50% of the patients. In more advanced stages, the disease may cause tingling, increased sensitivity and pain.
The first symptom is usually an eczema-like rash, usually only affecting one nipple. The skin of the nipple and areola may be red, itchy and inflamed. Some women have an itching or burning sensation. Fluid (discharge) may leak from the abnormal area of cells. The nipple may turn inwards (be inverted). There may or may not be a lump in the breast, and there may be redness, oozing and crusting, and a sore that does not heal.
The symptoms usually affect the nipple and then spread to the areola and then the breast. It is common for the symptoms to disappear for a while, which may make the patient think incorrectly that the condition has cleared up spontaneously.
Most women do not visit the doctor because they take Paget's disease to be minor contact dermatitis or eczema. A lump or skin irritation that does not seem to heal for over a month indicates that attention by a specialist is needed.
Read more about this topic: Paget's Disease Of The Breast
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