Diabetic Foot Wounds with Concomitant Skin Malignancies

Abstract

Background: Diabetic foot wounds are usually chronic and prone to infection. As chronic wounds can induce various malignancies, and malignancies can sometimes present as chronic wounds, the accurate diagnosis of concomitant skin malignancies requires careful attention. We report eight cases of skin malignancies presented with diabetic foot wounds. Methods: Patients who were diagnosed with skin cancer after receiving diabetic foot management from January 2008 to October 2017 at our diabetic foot clinic were selected for this retrospective study. Using an electronic chart review, patient data including age, sex, height, weight, wound characteristics, related systemic diseases, biopsy results, and applied treatments were collected. Results: A total of eight patients who had diabetic foot with concomitant skin malignancies were enrolled in a retrospective cohort study. Conclusion: Wounds that fail to heal for extended periods should be reassessed via tissue biopsy to determine the underlying pathology. We recommend that clinicians consider tissue biopsy for more cases of diabetic foot wounds that do not respond well to treatment.