[Penile dermatological lesions: how to identify premalignant lesions?]

Penile squamous cell carcinoma is a highly evolving tumor. Thus an early diagnosis is a major matter in order to avoid tumoral spread and mutilating surgery. Intra-epithelial neoplasia is a carcinoma in situ involving a disorganized cytological structure and intraepithelial architecture without any change on the derma. It has a bimodal pathogenesis: it can be induced by papilloma virus HPV infection and thus Bowen's disease or Bowenoïd papulosis, or by a lichen sclerosus. Bowen's disease concerns mainly men after 50 years old. There are not any spontaneous remission and it transforms slowly in 20-30% of the cases into a squamous cell carcinoma. Its treatment is surgical removal of the lesion. The Bowenoïd papulosis concerns mainly young men. These lesions are rarely invasive and are likely to regress spontaneously. It can be treated conservatively. The lichen sclerosis is an inflammatory chronic disease which etiology is still unknown. It is localized on the glans and the prepuce. Its treatment is essentially circumcision. After treatment, patients must be followed-up and biopsies must be performed for any sign of degeneration.