Bowen's disease treated by carbon dioxide laser. A series of 44 patients.
BACKGROUND
Bowen's disease is a common form of intraepidermal (in situ) squamous cell carcinoma of the skin and mucous membrane. Treatment with destruction of the epidermis by any method is necessary to prevent invasive squamous cell carcinoma.


OBJECTIVE
To report our experience with CO2 laser vaporization in the treatment of Bowen's disease and try to identify which factors could have any influence on results.


METHODS
A total of 44 patients were treated with the CO2 laser in superpulsed mode, focalized at 2 W/cm2.


RESULTS
In 86.3% of patients, a unique treatment session was required. 'Clearance after one treatment' was achieved in 86.3% of the total series of patients and only 7.9% of these patients developed recurrence of the lesion. In 11.3% of the cases, there was 'clearance after more than one treatment' without clinical recurrences in any of these patients during the follow-up. 'No response' was achieved in 2.2% of the total series of patients.


CONCLUSIONS
We conclude that the CO2 laser in superpulsed mode is an effective, efficient, safe, functional and good cosmetics treatment for Bowen's disease and it provides the same recurrence rate as other more aggressive or more expensive modalities of treatment.
Covadonga Martínez-González
M
M
Dermatology Department, Juan Canalejo Hospital, La Coruña, Spain. covadie@yahoo.es
del Pozo
Jesús
J
Paradela
Sabela
S
Fernández-Jorge
Beatriz
B
Fernández-Torres
Rosa
R
Fonseca
Eduardo
E
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001913:Bowen's Disease / Q000601:surgery*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D053685:Laser Therapy; D054020:Lasers, Gas / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D016896:Treatment Outcome