The place for conservative treatment in the management of Paget's disease of the nipple.

Four cases of Paget's disease confined to the nipple are presented. Three of them were treated conservatively by local radiotherapy and the fourth was treated by mastectomy. Histopathological examination of the breast in the last case failed to show any evidence of in situ or invasive carcinoma. The first three patients are well and without evidence of recurrence 3 to 5.5 years after treatment. Could conservative treatment in the form of local excision or radiotherapy offer an alternative to mastectomy? A discussion on the place of conservative treatment is presented.