Marjolin's ulcer: report of 4 cases.

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Marjolin's ulcer is a rare and often aggressive cutaneous malignancy that arises in a previously traumatized or chronically inflamed skin particularly after burns. The aim of the study is to highlight the surgical importance of this ulcer and to emphasize the necessity of closely monitoring unstable scars of chronic wounds especially post burns wounds. METHOD: A report of four cases of Marjolin's ulcer seen over a fifteen-year period at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital is presented with a review of the literature. RESULTS: Four cases were seen over a period of fifteen years. There were two females and two males aged 23, 65, 46, 19 years respectively. They all sustained injuries over 20 years prior to being seen at the surgical clinic and presented with ulcers that had features of malignancy. The two females had their ulcers excised and grafted, and were discharged from the hospital tumour free. The two males presented to the hospital very late with malignant ulcers, which could not be resected and they took their own discharge from the hospital. CONCLUSION: Marjolin's ulcer is uncommon in this environment but with the increasing incidence of petrochemical burns due to the oil industry in the environment, incidence of Marjolin's ulcer might increase.