title: Photodynamic Therapy for Bowen's Disease of the Vulva Area.
abstract: Bowen's disease is a squamous cell carcinoma in situ and has the potential to progress to a squamous cell carcinoma. The authors treated two female patients (a 39-year-old and a 41-year-old) with Bowen's disease in the vulva area using topical photodynamic therapy (PDT), involving the use of 5-aminolaevulinic acid and a light-emitting diode device. The light was administered at an intensity of 80 mW/cm(2) for a dose of 120 J/cm(2) biweekly for 6 cycles. The 39-year-old patient showed excellent clinical improvement, but the other patient achieved only a partial response. Even though one patient underwent a total excision 1 year later due to recurrence, both patients were satisfied with the cosmetic outcomes of this therapy and the partial improvement over time. The common side effect of PDT was a stinging sensation. PDT provides a relatively effective and useful alternative treatment for Bowen's disease in the vulva area.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Gachon University Gil Medical Center, Incheon, Korea.
authors.forename: Hong-Kyu
authors.initials: HK
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Gachon University Gil Medical Center, Incheon, Korea.
authors.forename: Jeong-Hwan
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Yun
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Gachon University Gil Medical Center, Incheon, Korea.
authors.forename: Young-Min
authors.initials: YM
authors.lastname: Son
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Gachon University Gil Medical Center, Incheon, Korea.
authors.forename: Joo-Young
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Roh
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Gachon University Gil Medical Center, Incheon, Korea.
authors.forename: Jong-Rok
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Lee
keywords: Bowen's disease; Photochemotherapy; Vulva area