Can nipple crusting or irritation be a significant problem?
Nipple changes can be the first signs of an underlying breast cancer. Sometimes nipple abnormalities can be due to problem called Paget\’ disease. Pagets disease of the breast is an eczema-like change in the skin of the nipple, and 9 out of 10 women who have this have an underlying breast cancer. The underlying breast cancer may be an invasive breast cancer or ductal carcimnoma in situ (DCIS). In DCIS, the cancer cells are completely contained within the milk ducts. Around half of the women who have Pagets disease will have a breast lump that can be felt at the time it is diagnosed.
