| name: | Bowen's Disease |
| also known as: | Intraepidermal Squamous Cell Carcinoma; ICD 239.2 |
| also see: | Squamous Cell Skin Cancer; Vulvar Cancer; Penis Cancer |
| description: | Bowen's disease is a pathology diagnosis in which the skin becomes dysplastic, sometimes referred to as epidermal hyperplasia or squamous cell carcinoma in situ. It was originally described on certain anatomic areas such as the penis and vulva, and was also thought to be a harbinger of an internal malignancy. Today, the associated internal malignancy theory is not widely believed. Rather, Bowen's disease is simply a pre-cancerous skin lesion that can progress to squamous cell skin cancer. The terms "intraepidermal" and "in situ" imply that the cancer is not yet invasive. Its almost double-talk; we say it is "pre-cancer" in one breath and "cancer in situ" in the other breath. It just means that it is a cancer that has yet to acquire the capacity for "invasion", and "invasion" is what most people, doctors and patients alike, think a cancer should do. Classic cancers often thought to have a Bowen's disease component include vulvar cancer, penis cancer. Treatment of Bowen's cancer includes surgical removal, fluorouracil topical (efudex). |
Last updated 11/15/2003