What is a complication of a sinus tract formation?

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Chronic sinus tracts from long-standing infection can undergo malignant transformation, most commonly into squamous cell carcinoma, in what is described clinically as a Marjolin ulcer. This term is used specifically for SCC arising in a scar or chronic wound, such as a long‑standing sinus tract from osteomyelitis or other persistent ulcers. The key idea is that ongoing inflammation and repeated tissue injury in these tracts create a environment where keratinocytes can accumulate mutations over years, leading to cancer within the tract. Clinically, a wound that has persisted for years but then starts to change—bleeding, enlarging, or becoming indurated—should raise suspicion and prompt biopsy. Management centers on wide surgical excision with clear margins, with assessment for deeper invasion or regional spread as needed. The other terms describe different conditions (for example, a Brodie abscess is a localized subacute osteomyelitis, and a cloaca is a draining opening of a fistula) and do not capture the malignant transformation that defines a Marjolin ulcer.