Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Case Reports
. 2005 Feb;113(2):207-10.
doi: 10.1289/ehp.7200.

A case of Bowen's disease and small-cell lung carcinoma: long-term consequences of chronic arsenic exposure in Chinese traditional medicine

Linda Lee  1 , Gwyn Bebb
Affiliations
Case Reports

A case of Bowen's disease and small-cell lung carcinoma: long-term consequences of chronic arsenic exposure in Chinese traditional medicine

Linda Lee et al. Environ Health Perspect. 2005 Feb.

Abstract

Chronic arsenic toxicity occurs primarily through inadvertent ingestion of contaminated water and food or occupational exposure, but it can also occur through medicinal ingestion. This case features a 53-year-old lifetime nonsmoker with chronic asthma treated for 10 years in childhood with Chinese traditional medicine containing arsenic. The patient was diagnosed with Bowen's disease and developed extensive-stage small-cell carcinoma of the lung 10 years and 47 years, respectively, after the onset of arsenic exposure. Although it has a long history as a medicinal agent, arsenic is a carcinogen associated with many malignancies including those of skin and lung. It is more commonly associated with non-small-cell lung cancer, but the temporal association with Bowen's disease in the absence of other chemical or occupational exposure strongly points to a causal role for arsenic in this case of small-cell lung cancer. Individuals with documented arsenic-induced Bowen's disease should be considered for more aggressive screening for long-term complications, especially the development of subsequent malignancies.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Abernathy CO, Liu YP, Longfellow D, Aposhian HV, Beck B, Fowler B, et al. Arsenic: health effects, mechanisms of actions, and research issues. Environ Health Perspect. 1999;107:593–597. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Andrew AS, Karagas MR, Hamilton JW. Decreased DNA repair gene expression among individuals exposed to arsenic in United States drinking water. Int J Cancer. 2003;104:263–268. - PubMed
    1. ATSDR 2004. Clincal Evaluation, Arsenic Toxicity Case Study. Atlanta, GA:Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.
    1. Beyersmann D.2002Effects of carcinogenic metals on gene expression Toxicol Lett 12763–68.10.1016/S0378-4274(01)00484-2. - PubMed
    1. Buchet JP, Lanwery R, Roels H. Comparison of the urinary excretion of arsenic metabolites after a single oral dose of sodium arsenite, monomethyl arsonate, or dimethyl arsenite in man. Int Arch Occup Environ Health. 1981;48:71–79. - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms