Marjolin’s Ulcer at the Kara Teaching Hospital (Togo)

Abstract

Marjolin’s ulcer is an aggressive tumor that occurs on a chronic non-healing wounds or burn scars. It’s a rare disease. Histologically, it is most often a squamous cell carcinoma. The real frequency is not known. Its incidence would be higher in developing countries where ancestral beliefs and financial difficulties cause consultation delays. Thus the diagnosis is delayed, due in part to the lack or insufficiency of diagnostic means. Our study aimed to describe the epidemiological, diagnostic and therapeutic particularities through three cases treated in our center. The delay in consultation resulted in the death of one patient, while for the other two, amputation prevented the extension of the tumor. Limb amputation is increasingly rare in the management of Marjolin’s ulcer, but in our difficult conditions it is still widely practiced when the tumor is localized at the extremity of the limb, without signs of remote invasion.