Background:
@EN Bowen's disease is known to have racial differences in clinical presentations and etiology. Chronic sun damage appears to be the primary cause for the evolution of Bowen's disease in the light-complexioned population, whereas, in Orientals,
chronic
arsenic exposure seems to play the major role. Recently, human papillomavirus(HPV) has been suggested as an important etiologic agent in the development of Bowen's disease, especially for Bowen's lesions which develop on non-sun-exposed areas
without a
history of arsenic ingestion. There is little knowledge about the clinical and etiologic characteristics of the development of Bowen's disease in Korean patients.
@ES Objective:
@EN This study is intended to observe the clinicopahological features of Bowen's disease in Koreans and to confirm the etiologic role of HPV in the pathogenesis of Bowen's disease in Koreans and to confirm the etiologic role of HPV in the
pathogenesis
of Bowen's disease.
@ES Methods:
@EN The clinical records and H & E slides of twenty-one cases of Bowen's disease observed at Seoul National University Hospital were reviewed for the anlaysis of clinicopathological findings of Bowen's disease in Koreans. Immunohistochemical
staining
using anti BPV-1 polyclonal antibody and in situ hybridization using HPV-16 and 18 DNA probe were performed on the tissues obtained from seventeen patients with Bowen's disease.
@ES Results:
@EN Of the clinically investigated twenty-one cases of Bowen's disease, all lesions except one were located on the non-sun-exposed areas. The association with arsenic ingestion was strongly suspected in at least three cases. Histologically, nine
of
the
twenty-one Bowen's lesions including three verrucous type lesions showed prominent hyperkeratosis, and koilocytosis was observed in nine cases. In the immunohistochemical study, two of seventeen specimens of Bowen's disease were stained
positively.
Using in situ hybridization, HPV-16 DNA was detected in three of seventeen Bowen's lesions and HPV-18 DNA in one of them.
@ES Conclusion:
@EN In Bowen's disease among Koreans, there are distinctive clinicopathological features compared to those of non-Korean cases and chronic arsenicism and HPV infection are though to be important causative factors in the pathogenesis. (Kor J
Dermatol
1993 ; 31(3) : 349-358)
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