Bowen disease is a precancerous dermatosis that may occur on both exposed and unexposed skin. In recent studies, a relationship between genital Bowen disease and various types of human papillomavirus (HPV), especially the mucosal type, has been revealed. We report a case of genital Bowen disease in which HPV type 57b was detected by polymerase chain reaction.
A 66-year-old man had first noticed a small eruption on his penis about 10 years previously that had gradually enlarged with no symptomatic signs. Physical examination results revealed a flat-elevated, well-demarcated, brown-black plaque with a warty keratotic surface 43×37 mm in diameter on the dorsal aspect of his foreskin (Figure 1, top).