Bowen's disease and internal malignancy. A matched case-control study

Abstract

Bowen's disease has been reported as a skin marker for internal malignancy. We conducted a matched case-control study to evaluate the significance of this link. Fifty white men with Bowen's disease diagnosed between 1977 and 1986 at a Veterans Administration Hospital were selected for study. These patients were matched by age, sex, race, and date of skin biopsy to 50 patients with basal cell carcinoma (control group 1) and another 50 patients with other dermatoses (control group 2). The original 50 patients with Bowen's disease include 12 (24%) with various internal malignancies. In comparison, nine patients (18%) in control group 1 and seven patients (14%) in control group 2 had internal malignancies. These numbers do not substantiate a statistically significant increase in the frequency of internal malignancies in Bowen's disease. We therefore conclude that Bowen's disease is not a skin marker for internal malignancy in elderly white men.