Paget Disease of the Male Breast

Abstract

• Twenty-two fully documented cases of Paget disease of the male breast are reviewed, and an additional patient is reported. The most common initial symptom was ulceration and excoriation, while a breast mass was palpable in the majority of patients. Nipple changes were surprisingly rare, in contrast to the female. The prognosis of the disease in the male appears to be worse than in the female, with the Paget carcinoma carrying a worse prognosis than the "ordinary" male breast cancer. The subareolar location and the meager volume of tissue interposed between the tumor and chest wall may be an important factor in this regard. Nipple changes or symptoms (ulceration, discharge, enlargement) are more apt to be due to cancer in the male than in the female. Therefore, prompt diagnosis is mandatory. (Arch Surg 112:587-592, 1977)