Melanoma Misdiagnosed as Multiple Diabetic Foot Ulcer: A Case Report

Abstract

Malignant skin ulcerations may mimic diabetic foot ulcers leading to misdiagnosis. In this case report, we discuss an uncommon but severe problem of malignant tumors initially misdiagnosed as diabetic foot ulcers, underlying the need to improve medical awareness, diagnostics, and approaches for therapy once the correct diagnosis is made. We describe the case of an 82-year-old male with diabetes mellitus and melanoma metastases initially misdiagnosed as diabetic foot ulcers. In diabetic patients, several skin disorders may coexist on the same foot, including actual diabetic foot ulcers and skin cancers. Among multiple skin disorders that coexist on the foot of a diabetic patient, the skin metastases may be misdiagnosed as diabetic foot ulcers. Significant efforts should be made to create new non-invasive, rapid diagnostic techniques to eliminate misdiagnoses of skin disorders in diabetic patients.

Keywords

• Diabetic foot ulcer
• Melanoma
• Misdiagnosis
• Skin cancer
• Case report