Bowen's Disease Information and Treatment 

       Bowen's Disease is also defined as Bowen's among dermatologists. Bowen disease is a squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) in situ with the latent for significant lateral spread. Pre-invasive means that there are cancer cells there.  But they are enclosed to the outermost layer of skin, the epidermis.  Most doctors and authorities regard Bowen's as a type of squamous cell carcinoma; although some regard it as a precancer.

    The phrase 'Bowen's disease'  is normally applied for squamous cell carcinoma-in-situ around the genitals or anus. A common symptom of Bowen's is itching.  But usually there are no symptoms apart from a patch on the skin. It usually develops as a slow-growing red and scaly patch. Sometimes one can turn into true skin cancer. SCC in situ is also known as Bowen's disease after the doctor who first described it almost 100 years ago.

Bowen's disease is a kind of slow-growing and scaly skin patch. Bowen's disease may occur on any part of the body, though, the lower legs are most often affected. SCC in situ is usually a red, scaly patch. It tends to be seen on areas consistently exposed to the sun. The simplest and most general treatment for smaller SCC in situ is surgical excision. There are different forms of skin cancer. Basal cell carcinoma is the most common.

     Melanoma is less common, but more severe. Usually there are no symptoms though the surface crusting can catch on clothing. The recent treatment approved by the FDA but not yet in common use, is photodynamic therapy (PDT). Exposure to sunlight is a reknown risk factor, yet the actual cause of Bowen's disease is unknown. Though all cases are successfully cured, and recrudesce of Bowen's disease are rare. Several treatments are present for Bowen's disease, such as freezing it, scraping it off the skin (curettage), and surgical remotion.