What is eczema-like carcinoma of the breast?

Breast eczema-like carcinoma was firstly reported by Paget’s in 1874, also known as Paget’s disease, which behaved like eczema and was commonly known as breast eczema-like carcinoma. 1889, some scholars found that similar lesions were found in the scrotum area of some male patients, which was known as extramammary eczema-like carcinoma. So it is also easy to misdiagnose him as eczema and delay treatment. Therefore, it is important to be alert to the possibility of eczema-like carcinoma for eczema that has not been cured for a long time. Eczema-like carcinoma mostly occurs in the unilateral nipple or areola of middle-aged or above women, originated from breast ducts, and then involves mammary glands, connective tissues and skin, and is occasionally seen in the male breast and extra-mammary (external genitalia, perineum and perianal area, armpit) in the sweat gland-rich parts; the lesions are unique reddish scaly plaques at the beginning, and occur similar to the eczema-like changes, with infiltration and hardening of the base, and the boundary is clear, and there may be vesiculation and oozing, similar to eczema. The skin lesions are similar to eczema, according to the eczema treatment has no obvious effect, there is no eczema like multiple forms, no obvious itching and self-cure tendency; the damage is gradually expanding, warty hyperplasia, and even ulcers, some patients can be accompanied by breast cancer, rectal cancer, cervical cancer or sweat adenocarcinoma, scrotal Paget’s disease occurs in the elderly over the age of 50. Whenever eczema-like changes occur on the skin of the scrotum, perineum and other sweat gland-rich areas, the possibility of Paget’s disease should be thought of. The lesions of this disease begin as small blistering rash or scaly erythema with clear borders, and after scratching, the surface becomes eroded, oozing, and crusted. After the scabs fall off, the skin becomes warty and gradually infiltrates outward, forming rough lesions interspersed with vesicles and erythema, often with a disgusting odor due to secondary infection. For the eczema-like altered lesions occurring in the above areas, after a long period of time and correct treatment without obvious improvement, the possibility of eczema-like carcinoma should be highly suspected. Further skin histopathologic examination should be done to confirm the diagnosis. Once diagnosed, eczema-like carcinoma should be treated as early as possible with surgical excision as the best solution, and at the same time, according to the scope and degree of lesions, corresponding treatment should be done: 1) Simple mastectomy for breast eczema-like carcinoma, and those who are combined with breast cancer should be treated according to breast cancer; 2) Extra-mammary eczema-like carcinoma: it should be widely resected, and lesion tissues should be removed and sent to pathology examination, to determine whether it is completely resected or not. It must be rechecked regularly (every 3–6 months), and surgery can be performed again if there is recurrence. For those who have combined with rectal cancer or adenocarcinoma of the uterine cervix or sweat, the treatment should be combined with the type of tumor; most of the clinical cases of this disease are accompanied by local infections and enlargement of inguinal and adjacent lymph nodes, so don’t give up the treatment hastily thinking that the cancer has already metastasized. Even if metastatic signs are found in the groin and adjacent lymph nodes, inguinal and adjacent lymph nodes should be cleared to improve the clinical cure rate. 3. Radiation therapy is often used for areas that have lost the chance of surgery, cannot tolerate surgery or cannot be operated.