Multiple Bowen's disease of the fingers associated with human papilloma virus type 16.

BACKGROUND

The occurrence of multiple Bowen's disease (BD) in skin away from the anogenital area is rare. In contrast, multiple lesions of BD involving the anogenital skin (bowenoid papulosis) are not so rare and have been found to associated with human papilloma virus (HPV) usually type 16. We encountered a patient with multiple BD of the fingers and endeavored to detect HPV in his lesions.

METHODS

Separate BD lesions from 3 fingers of the patient were investigated for the presence of HPV by means of the polymerase chain reaction, followed by dot blot hybridization. Other cases of BD with coexistent hpv infection excluding the anogenital area were collected from the literature for comparative study.

RESULTS

HPV type 16 was detected in each of the three finger lesions of BD. Twenty cases of HPV related BD involving sites other than the anogenital area were found in the literature. Three of these cases had multiple lesions.

CONCLUSIONS

Review of the 4 cases with multiple HPV related nonanogenital BD and the 17 others with solitary lesions reveals predilection for the hands and feet (90%) and affinity for type 16 infection (81%). The lesions usually present as verrucous plaques.