Rare Presentation of a Marjolin's Ulcer Secondary to a Post-Traumatic Injury

J Foot Ankle Surg. 2017 Jan-Feb;56(1):112-116. doi: 10.1053/j.jfas.2016.07.011. Epub 2016 Sep 3.

Abstract

Marjolin's ulcer is a rare and aggressive cutaneous malignancy arising from previously traumatized skin, most commonly at the site of previous burns. We present a unique case of Marjolin's ulceration secondary to an orthopedic injury and a nonburn history of trauma. The patient had been involved in a motorcycle accident >20 years earlier. For 17 months, the patient had refused to acknowledge the severity of his disease state. He had refused the standard of care and opted for local wound care only until a minor fall caused a pathologic fracture, leading to an above the knee amputation. Road traffic incidents remain an uncommon cause of subsequent Marjolin's transformation in developed countries. As such, we present the case of a patient with a unique combination of a continued lack of compliance after diagnosis and the unusual cause of his initial trauma.

Keywords: biopsy; malignancy; squamous cell carcinoma; trauma; wound care.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Accidents, Traffic
  • Amputation, Surgical / methods*
  • Biopsy, Needle
  • Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / pathology*
  • Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / physiopathology
  • Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / surgery
  • Chronic Disease
  • Disease Progression
  • Femur / surgery
  • Follow-Up Studies
  • Humans
  • Immunohistochemistry
  • Injury Severity Score
  • Leg Injuries / complications
  • Leg Injuries / diagnostic imaging
  • Leg Injuries / physiopathology*
  • Leg Ulcer / pathology*
  • Leg Ulcer / physiopathology
  • Leg Ulcer / therapy
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Radiography / methods
  • Rare Diseases
  • Risk Assessment
  • Severity of Illness Index
  • Skin Neoplasms / pathology*
  • Skin Neoplasms / physiopathology
  • Skin Neoplasms / surgery
  • Treatment Outcome
  • Treatment Refusal