Malignant fungating wounds

Definition

A malignant fungating wound is the result of a cancerous mass that infiltrates through the skin epithelium and surrounding lymph and blood vessels (Pearson and Mortimer [111]). These wounds can develop anywhere on the body and can present as either an ulcerating crater or a ‘fungating’ wound with raised nodules similar in appearance to a cauliflower, or a combination of both, with maceration and inflammation of the surrounding skin (Benbow [15]). A malignant fungating wound can grow rapidly, cause considerable damage to the skin (Alexander [3]) and rarely heals (Bird [20]). Malignant fungating wounds can also be known as fungating wounds, cutaneous malignancies or tumour necrosis (Benbow [15]).