Managing patients with fungating malignant wounds

Fungating malignant wounds are caused by the infiltration of the skin and its supporting blood and lymph vessels by a local tumour, or result from metastatic spread from a primary tumour. Without treatment, the fungation has the potential to extend and cause massive damage to the wound site, through a combination of proliferative growth, loss of vascularity and ulceration (Grocott, 1999).