Squamous cell carcinoma: an unusual early complication of postoperative osteomyelitis.

Review of the world biomedical literature noted only scant attention to the rare variant of squamous cell carcinoma which can develop in traumatic lesions. Squamous cell carcinoma developed 10 months after a patient was treated for multiple injuries including bilateral ankle and foot trauma. After surgery, attention to the clinical signs of neoplastic transformation is important, even when treating lesions of less than 1 year's duration. When clinical signs and symptoms indicate possible squamous cell carcinoma, a biopsy must be done. Once the diagnosis is confirmed, definitive surgery is mandatory because recurrence and metastatic disease have a low 5-year survival rate.