Abstract

GABBI, Tatiana Villas Boas; VALENTE, Neusa Yuriko Sakai  and  CASTRO, Luiz Guilherme Martins. Pigmented Paget's disease of the nipple mimicking cutaneous melanoma: importance of the immunohistochemical profile to differentiate between these diseases. An. Bras. Dermatol. [online]. 2006, vol.81, n.5, pp. 457-460. ISSN 1806-4841.  http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0365-05962006000500008.

Pigmented mammary Paget's disease is a rare dermatosis, with approximately 12 reported cases in the literature, which can mimic cutaneous melanoma both clinically and histologically. As for classical mammary Paget's disease, the pigmented variant is associated with neoplasia of the breast, originating mainly from intraductal mammary carcinoma that extends to the epidermis of the nipple and areola through a lactiferous duct. Physiopathology of hyperpigmentation remains unknown. We present a 49-year-old female patient who presented with a pigmented lesion of the nipple suspected of melanoma. Histological examination was not sufficient to confirm diagnosis. Immunohistochemical examination confirmed the diagnosis of Paget's disease. Although uncommon, pigmented Paget's disease must be reminded as a differential diagnosis of melanoma in pigmented lesions of the nipple, in both genders.

Keywords : Immunohistochemistry; Melanoma; Paget's disease; mammary.