On the diagnosis and treatment of cutaneous and soft tissue tumours misdiagnosed as scars: Lessons from four cases

Abstract

Some types of skin and soft tissue tumours may be misdiagnosed as scars because of the scar-like manifestation or the history of injury. It is generally believed that injuries will activate wound healing, ultimately ending in fibrosis. Because of the tumour-promoting properties of both the microenvironment of the wound and the wound-healing process that may go awry, there is a likelihood that injuries may trigger tumour growth. From 2012 to 2016, we treated four patients who underwent unsuccessful treatments because of the misdiagnosis of scars or keloids. Upon the pathological diagnoses of skin and soft tissue tumours in the four cases, extended resection of the tumours was performed. Recurrence was not observed up to the last follow up. Since then, soft tissue tumours have much greater visibility and are considered during diagnosis if a wound is presented with the atypical appearance of scar after injuries. Under these circumstances, biopsy should be conducted.