Definition
Bowen's disease is a pre-malignant disease of the skin, which manifests itself with the appearance of one or more raised patches, reddish-brown, scaly or crusty. It mainly affects adults and is considered a precursor stage of spinocellular carcinoma (also called squamous carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, squamous cell epithelioma or spinalioma). The injuries of Bowen's disease, in fact, are the expression of an atypical proliferation of the squamous cells of the epidermis, which does not extend however to the underlying basal layers (at least for a certain period).
Bowen's disease occurs mainly in areas most exposed to sunlight, such as lower limbs, trunk, face or hands; however, it can also occur in the skin and mucous membranes in any part of the body.
In addition to sunlight, risk factors related to the onset of Bowen's disease are arsenic exposure and papillomavirus infections.
Most common symptoms and signs *
- Erythema
- macules
- Nodule
- Scales on the skin
- Skin Ulcers
Further indications
Bowen's disease manifests itself with the appearance of isolated or multiple red-brown lesions, detected, erythematous, with a well-defined border. These thickenings are covered with keratin scales or scabs. The slow-growing lesion may persist for many years before becoming frankly tumoral. Malignant evolution is evident due to the appearance of infiltration, nodules and ulceration.
The diagnosis is made by biopsy. Bowen's disease lesions can simulate the appearance of patches of psoriasis, dermatitis or a dermatophyte infection.
Treatment depends on the characteristics of the disease and can be done by topical chemotherapy (5-fluoruracil), cryotherapy and surgical resection.
