Squamous Cell Carcinoma Arising in a Chronic, Nonhealing Diabetic Foot Ulcer.

UNLABELLED: Diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) are a severe and costly complication of diabetes and may result in foot amputation.

CASE REPORT: A 69-year-old man with a 10-year history of type 2 diabetes, who was undergoing routine care for diabetes in the authors' clinic, developed a DFU of his right foot of 4 years' duration. The wound did not respond to conventional treatments, and imaging studies were normal. His 2 biopsies tested negative for malignancy. The DFU was fully removed surgically. Following surgical removal, squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) was diagnosed in the histologic study of the wound.

CONCLUSION

Clinicians should consider a diagnosis of SCC in any chronic, nonhealing DFU. Early surgical resection of a chronic, nonhealing DFU may prevent development of SCC in an ulcer.