Bowen's disease: squamous cell carcinoma in situ

Abstract

Bowen's disease is a premalignant condition that clinically presents as an asymptomatic, scaly or crusted plaque on the skin. Since the morphology of the lesions can mimic that of other cutaneous disorders, Bowen's disease is often not recognized initially. The diagnosis of Bowen's disease should be considered and a skin biopsy performed when a patient presents with a persistent cutaneous lesion that is of uncertain diagnosis or that has been previously diagnosed as "atypical" or "steroid-nonresponsive" dermatitis.