Marjolin ulcer in pressure injury scar: a case report

Abstract

Marjolin ulcer (epidermoid carcinoma) is a rare condition that arises from a chronic skin lesion. We present a patient who developed an epidermoid carcinoma in the scar tissue of a pressure ulcer. After eleven years of surgery to correct a pressure ulcer in the right gluteus, the patient developed an epidermoid carcinoma in a pressure ulcer in the left gluteus and neglected the condition. Wide resection of the lesion was performed with free margins in the final histopathological result. Marjolin ulcer is an expression that commonly refers to the malignant degeneration of chronic wounds that have not healed or healed by secondary intention. It is often described as various types of lesions, including the scars of pressure ulcers. The pathogenic mechanisms behind the malignant transformation of these lesions have not yet been completely elucidated. The diagnosis is initially made by clinical examination due to the lesion aspect and is confirmed by biopsy. Surgery is the choice treatment closing the defect with flaps or grafts, depending on each case.

Keywords

• squamous cell carcinoma
• pressure ulcer
• wounds and injuries
• scar
• ulcer