Characteristics of Paget's carcinoma of the nipple and problems of its negligency.

The analysis of 73 cases revealed Paget's disease of the nipple, known as a precancerous state, to be a special form of the intraductal mammary cancers. In the majority of the cases, apart from a superficial exulceration malignant transformation in the glandular substance is present. Thus, the treatment schedules have to be similar to those of other mammary cancers; in cases localized to the nipple, simple mastectomy with axillary block dissection, is suggested; in cases with tumors of the glandular substance, radical mastectomy according to Halsted is suggested. The frequent negligency is partly a result of an earlier attitude of the physicians being too conservative with therapeutic procedures.