Premium
Associated malignancies in vulvar Paget disease
Author(s) -
Linden M.,
Schuurman M.S.,
Bulten J.,
Massuger L.F.A.G.,
IntHout J.,
Aa M.A.,
Hullu J.A.
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
british journal of dermatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.304
H-Index - 179
eISSN - 1365-2133
pISSN - 0007-0963
DOI - 10.1111/bjd.17283
Subject(s) - medicine , dermatology , population , breast cancer , disease , cancer , environmental health
Summary Vulvar Paget disease (VPD) is a rare skin disorder, most commonly seen in postmenopausal white women, causing patches of itching or burning skin around the vulva. There are different types, and in the past, all types of VPD were associated with breast, intestinal and urological malignancies (e.g. cancers). This study, from the Netherlands, looks at cutaneous non‐invasive VPD, which at the time of diagnosis just affects the skin. The researchers wanted to see if this type does indeed increase the risk of developing breast, intestinal or urological malignancies in comparison with the general population (people without VPD), and moreover to evaluate whether all patients with VPD should be routinely screened for malignancies. Data on the oncological (cancer) history of patients with any type of VPD between 2000 and 2015 were obtained from a nationwide archive of pathology reports in the Netherlands. Follow‐up data and a control group from the general population were obtained from the Netherlands Cancer Registry. Of the patients with VPD, 76.9% were diagnosed with cutaneous non‐invasive VPD. The researchers found that, while other types of VPD may be linked with malignancies, the group with cutaneous non‐invasive VPD had no increased risk for developing malignancies of the breast, intestine or urological tract. This suggests that routine screening for these malignancies in patients diagnosed with cutaneous non‐invasive VPD may not be necessary.