Bowen disease on the dorsum of the foot associated with human papillomavirus type 16

Abstract

A 94 years old Japanese female was presented to our hospital with a skin lesion on her left foot. A physical examination found a markedly hyperkeratotic reddish-brown plaque, measuring 3 cm in diameter. A biopsy specimen showed prominent papillomatosis, hyperkeratosis, and atypical keratinocytes throughout the epidermis. Individual cell keratinization, multinucleated keratinocytes, and many keratinocytes with clear cytoplasm were seen. We excised the lesion, and the skin grafting was used for covering the skin defect. We investigated whether human papillomavirus (HPV) was present in the lesion, and HPV 16 DNA was detected using the polymerase chain reaction. Immunohistochemical analysis showed several HPV-positive cells in the upper epidermis. In addition, the tumor cells showed strong and diffuse expression of p16INK4a. Bowen disease (BD) is an intraepidermal squamous cell carcinoma. The precise pathogenesis of BD is unclear, but it involves various factors. HPV infection is one of these factors and is a well-known cause of BD of the genitalia and fingers. It has been shown that some BD lesions occurring at other locations are also associated with HPV. Dysregulation of the Rb/p16INK4a pathway is considered to play an important role in HPV-induced BD, but the precise mechanism remains to be elucidated. J. Med. Invest. 69 : 152-154, February, 2022.