Breast cancer skin changes
Paget disease of the nipple, peau d'orange and inflammatory breast cancer, cutaneous metastases, and the skin effects of breast cancer treatment, including radiation-associated angiosarcoma.
Tier 1Condition
Written with AI assistance and fact-checked against the sources below. For exam study, not clinical decisions. How notes are made
At a glance
- Skin changes can be the first sign of breast cancer or of its recurrence: dimpling, nipple retraction, peau d'orange, Paget disease, erythema, nodules.
- Paget disease of the nipple and inflammatory breast cancer are the two that get missed, because they look like eczema and mastitis.
- Every new breast skin change outside lactation goes through the triple test: clinical assessment, imaging and biopsy.
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Sources
- Investigation of a new breast symptom, a guide for General PractitionersAU/NZCancer Australia, 2017 (current Cancer Australia guidance, checked November 2026)
- Guidance for the management of early breast cancer: recommendations and practice pointsAU/NZCancer Australia, 2020
- NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology, Breast Cancer (including inflammatory breast cancer and Paget disease)National Comprehensive Cancer Network, 2026 (version number not verified)
- Dawood S et al. International expert panel on inflammatory breast cancer: consensus statement for standardized diagnosis and treatment. Ann Oncol 2011;22:515-23Annals of Oncology, 2011
- Therapeutic Guidelines: DermatologyAU/NZTherapeutic Guidelines Limited, Version 5, 2022 (no newer edition found, November 2026)
- Last updated
- 14 November 2026
What changed
- 14 November 2026 Turnstile bot check on sign-in and signed-out feedback