Periungual pigmented Bowen’s disease infected with human papillomavirus 73 and healed with secondary intention healing

Periungual pigmented Bowen’s disease is uncommon and often overlooked in daily practice. This retrospective observational case series included periungual Bowen’s disease diagnosed as by histopathology between January, 2023, and September, 2024, at Peking University People’s Hospital. Clinical characteristics, HPV expression and treatment options were evaluated. Four patients (3 males and 1 female) aged 24 to 62 years old were included in the study. All lesions were pigmented and located on the right hand, with the right 3rd finger involved in 3 cases. Two patients reported trauma before the emergence of the lesion and 1 patient had acute myelocytic leukemia. HPV 73 was detected in all patients and 1 patient also carried HPV 52. One patient was treated with imiquimod. Three patients healed well after excision and secondary intention healing. This study highlights the importance of HPV 73 in periungual pigmented Bowen’s disease and secondary intention healing in the periungual area.