Bowenoid Papulosis

Excerpt

Bowenoid papulosis is an uncommon sexually transmitted condition that was first described in 1977 by Kopf and Bart as penile papules. However, this condition occurs in any sex and tends to affect young, sexually active people. This condition was also termed “vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia” in the vulva and termed penile intraepithelial neoplasia in the penis. The classification of this disease was confusing and included 3 clinical entities: bowenoid papulosis, Bowen disease, and erythroplasia of Queyrat. Now it is recommended that these 3 entities not be used to describe lesions in the anogenital area. However, dermatologists still recognize Bowenoid papulosis as a distinct clinical variant. Bowenoid papulosis is induced virally by human papillomavirus (HPV) and presents as solitary or multiple skin-colored papules in the anogenital area. This condition can last from 2 weeks to several years. Clinically, bowenoid papulosis is assimilated to genital warts, while histologically, it has a close resemblance to squamous cell carcinoma in situ (Bowen disease). Treatment is generally conservative. Bowenoid papulosis lesions are generally considered benign with a spontaneous regress leaving no sequelae in immunocompetent persons, although a small number may transform into invasive squamous cell carcinoma (see Image. Bowenoid Papulosis).