Bowen's disease in an 86 year old female patient. Bowen's disease, also called intraepidermal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), is a very early and slow-growing form of skin cancer that affects the outermost layer of cells (epidermis) in the skin. It typically appears as red or brown scaly patches or lesions on the skin, similar to raised spots or warts. The condition usually affects older adults. The cause often remains unclear, but there are links to long-term sun exposure, immunocompromised people, the human papillomavirus (HPV) and long-term exposure to arsenic. There are many effective treatments for Bowen's disease, including chemotherapy and immunotherapy creams, cryotherapy (freezing), surgery, laser treatment, and radiotherapy. If left untreated, there is a small chance that Bowen's disease can spread into the deeper layers of the skin, although the risk of developing skin cancer is less than 10 percent. |