Intraepithelial epithelioma (Bowen's disease) of conjunctiva and chronic lymphocytic leukemia

Occurrence of intraepithelial epithelioma (Bowen's disease) of the conjunctiva in a 54-year-old white man with chronic lymphocytic leukemia and bilateral labiopalatine clefting is discussed. The lesion developed slowly during 3 years following mechanical trauma to the eye. The interrelationship between trauma, Bowen's disease, and chronic lymphocytic leukemia remains obscure. It is postulated that an altered immunologic status might be responsible for neoplastic changes in the posttraumatic healing process. Intractable lesions in a patient with abnormal immunologic system or with an already proven malignancy should be studied by excisional biopsy.