Paget's disease of the vulva associated with local adenocarcinoma and previous breast adenocarcinoma: report of two cases

We report two women in whom vulval Paget's disease occurred in association with local adenocarcinoma and previous breast adenocarcinoma. The first patient presented at the age of 83 years with moist erythematous changes over the perineum and an indurated area near the anus. Biopsy of the indurated area showed Paget's cells throughout the epidermis and, below, adenocarcinoma infiltrating the dermis. Ten years previously, she had undergone a left mastectomy for infiltrating ductal carcinoma of the breast. The second patient was diagnosed as having Paget's disease at the age of 74 years. A vulval biopsy showed Paget's cells in the epidermis but, in addition, there were changes suggestive of adenocarcinoma of the sweat glands. Her symptoms of vulval itching had started at the age of 45 years and had led to a simple vulvectomy at the age of 57 years. Retrospective review of this vulvectomy specimen showed Paget's disease. She had also previously been treated for infiltrating ductal adenocarcinoma of the breast and adenocarcinoma of the rectum. The management of Paget's disease is difficult because of its high recurrence rate and, as illustrated by our two cases, treatment is difficult if the patients are elderly and in poor general health.