Case Report

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.

1. International Diabetes Federation, diabetes atlas. Ninth edition. 2019. URL: http://www.diabetesatlas.org
2. Tseng, H.W.; Shiue, Y.L.; Tsai, K.W.; Huang, W.C.; Tang, P.L.; Lam, H.C. Risk of skin cancer in patients with diabetes mellitus: a nationwide retrospective cohort study in Taiwan. Medicine 2016, 95(26), e4070. https://doi.org/10.1097/MD.0000000000004070
3. Zhang, P.; Lu, J.; Jing, Y.; Tang, S.; Zhu, D.; Bi, Y. Global epidemiology of diabetic foot ulceration: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Ann Med. 2017, 49(2), 106-116. https://doi.org/10.1080/07853890.2016.1231932
4. Dutra, L.M.A.; Melo, M.C.; Moura, M.C.; et al. Prognosis of the outcome of severe diabetic foot ulcers with multidisciplinary care. Journal of multidisciplinary healthcare 2019, 12, 349-359. https://doi.org/10.2147/JMDH.S194969
5. Lyundup, A.V.; Balyasin, M.V.; Maksimova, N.V.; Kovina, M.V.; Krasheninnikov, M.E.; Dyuzheva, T.G.; et al. Misdiagnosis of diabetic foot ulcer in patients with undiagnosed skin malignancies. International wound journal 2022, 19(4), 871-887. https://doi.org/10.1111/iwj.13688
6. Toussaint, F.; Erdmann, M.; Berking, C.; Erfurt-Berge, C. Malignant Tumours Presenting as Chronic Leg or Foot Ulcers. J. Clin. Med. 2021, 10, 2251. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm10112251
7. Chamberlain, J.J.; Rhinehart, A.S.; Shaefer, C.F.; Neuman, A. Diagnosis and management of diabetes: synopsis of the 2016 American Diabetes Association Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes. Annals of internal medicine 2016, 164(8), 542-552. https://doi.org/10.7326/M15-3016
Files
IssueVol 60 No 12 (2022) QRcode
SectionCase Report(s)
DOI https://doi.org/10.18502/acta.v60i12.11833
Keywords
Diabetic foot ulcer Melanoma Misdiagnosis Skin cancer Case report

Rights and permissions
Creative Commons License This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
How to Cite
1.
Maksimova NV, Kovylov AO, Krasheninnikov ME, Kovina MV, Lyundup AV, Baranovskii DS, Klabukov ID. Melanoma Misdiagnosed as Multiple Diabetic Foot Ulcer: A Case Report. Acta Med Iran. 2023;60(12):782-784.