A variety of cutaneous lesions may at times imitate malignant melanoma. A list of such entities frequently includes nevi, lentigines, seborrheic keratoses, blue nevi, pigmented basal cell carcinomas, and dermatofibromas.1 Bowen's disease, however, is easily distinguished from melanoma and is not usually mentioned in the differential diagnosis of pigmented lesions. The following case illustrates a rare similarity between these two diseases.
Report of a Case
A 44-year-old black man was referred to the Department of Dermatology of the University of Virginia Medical Center, Charlottesville, for evaluation of a pigmented lesion on the sole of his left foot. This had been discovered while he was being examined for a presumed viral gastroenteritis. The patient stated that the lesion had been present for more than a year. There was no history of inorganic arsenic ingestion.On physical examination, a 1.5 × 2.0-cm, variably pigmented, slightly elevated lesion, with irregular borders and minimal overlying scale