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Case Reports
. 2023 Aug 15;13(4):182-184.
eCollection 2023.

Rapid development of squamous cell carcinoma at a split-thickness skin graft donor site

Andrew P Bain  1 , Kareem R AbdelFattah  1 , Audra T Clark  1
Affiliations
Case Reports

Rapid development of squamous cell carcinoma at a split-thickness skin graft donor site

Andrew P Bain et al. Int J Burns Trauma. .

Abstract

The development of a Marjolin ulcer at the site of a split-thickness skin graft donor site is exceptionally rare. Here we describe the rapid development of squamous cell carcinoma at a split-thickness skin graft donor site in the setting of severe burn. We present a case of a 52-year-old male with no past medical history who presented with a 24% total body surface area burn caused by a flash flame. Four months after his initial excision and grafting, he presented for revision of a burn scar with an additional complaint of a rapidly developing skin lesion at his donor site, which arose over 2 weeks. The lesion was excised en bloc and found to be invasive squamous cell carcinoma. There are 5 previous cases of squamous cell carcinoma development at the site of split-thickness skin harvest in the setting of severe burn. While the typical Marjolin ulcer has a latency period of up to 30 years, lesions that arise in split-thickness skin graft donor sites appear to have a rapid onset of weeks to months. Squamous cell carcinoma at the site of split-thickness skin grafting is an uncommon but important sequelae of burn care.

Keywords: Squamous cell carcinoma; burn; donor site.

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Conflict of interest statement

None.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Right thigh squamous cell carcinoma at inferior edge of split-thickness skin graft donor site.
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