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Dermoscopy of Bowen's disease
I Zalaudek1, G Argenziano, B Leinweber
1Department of Dermatology, University of Graz, Austria.
The British Journal of Dermatology
|June 25, 2004
Summary
Dermoscopy aids in diagnosing Bowen's disease (BD), a type of skin cancer. Key features include glomerular vessels and a scaly surface, with brown globules or pigmentation seen in pigmented BD.
Area of Science:
- Dermatology
- Oncology
- Medical Imaging
Background:
- Dermoscopy enhances diagnostic accuracy for skin lesions, including nonpigmented tumors by visualizing subsurface vascular structures.
- Bowen's disease (BD), or squamous cell carcinoma in situ, is typically nonpigmented but can rarely be pigmented.
Purpose of the Study:
- To detail the specific dermoscopic characteristics observed in both pigmented and nonpigmented cases of Bowen's disease.
Main Methods:
- Dermoscopic images of 21 histopathologically confirmed BD cases were analyzed.
- Lesions were photographed at 10-fold magnification and digitized for feature evaluation.
Main Results:
- A distinct dermoscopic pattern was noted in most BD cases, featuring glomerular vessels (90%) and a scaly surface (90%).
- Pigmented BD cases additionally showed small, regularly packed brown globules (90%) and structureless grey-to-brown pigmentation (80%).
Conclusions:
- Dermoscopy is valuable for diagnosing BD due to consistent findings like glomerular vessels and scaly surfaces.
- The presence of small brown globules and/or homogeneous pigmentation is characteristic of pigmented BD.