Bowen's disease of the penile shaft presenting as a pigmented macule: dermoscopy, reflectance confocal microscopy and histopathological correlation

Abstract

The penile localization of pigmented Bowen's disease has been rarely reported and has been mostly related to human papillomavirus infection. Early diagnosis and treatment are important to prevent progression to invasive squamous cell carcinoma. However, diagnosis can be challenging because it may be difficult to distinguish from melanoma, even using dermoscopy. Reflectance confocal microscopy may be useful in suggesting the bedside diagnosis before the histopathological confirmation. A case of penile pigmented Bowen's disease is described along with its dermoscopy and reflectance confocal microscopy findings and their correlation with histopathology.

Keywords: Bowen's disease; Carcinoma, squamous cell; Dermoscopy; Microscopy, confocal; Papillomavirus infections.