Home > Encyclopedia of Medicine > Paget's Disease of the Breast

Definition

Paget's disease of the breast is a rare form of breast cancer which makes up approximately 1 to 4 percent of all breast tumors. While sharing its name with Paget's disease of bone, these are two medically unrelated conditions. They are simply named after the same doctor who first described them.

Description

Paget's disease of the breast is generally associated with an underlying breast cancer. It is generally seen in people between the ages of 40 and 80 years. Cases in men have been identified, but they are extremely rare.

Paget's disease of the breast may also be called mammary Paget's disease (MPD). There is a much rarer form of this disease called extramammary Paget's disease...