Apoptosis in Bowen's disease. An ultrastructural study.

We performed ultrastructural studies of apoptosis (previously referred to as "malignant dyskeratosis") in a case of genital Bowen's carcinoma in which human papillomavirus (HPV) type 33 genome was identified and in two cases of cutaneous Bowen's disease with no detectable viral DNA; herein we present the sequential stages in the development of apoptotic bodies. The apoptotic process in the HPV-containing genital Bowen's disease was similar to that in the cutaneous lesions with no detectable HPV. The presence of a large number of apoptotic bodies in Bowen's disease may be responsible for the slow progression and noninvasive growth of this carcinoma in situ.