Introduction: Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is most commonly found on sun-damaged skin and less often occurs on the toes and feet.
Case report: A 41-year-old man with a history of human immunodeficiency virus and asthma, who had received highly active antiretroviral therapy for 7 years while incarcerated, presented to the emergency department with a primary SCC of the left foot with inguinal lymph node metastasis. The patient underwent a left foot transmetatarsal amputation; due to noncompliance, he underwent a below-the-knee amputation 17 days later as a result of surgical findings and extent of infection. The surgical site fully healed without further complications. The patient now has phantom limb pain of the left leg, sees oncology for palliative marijuana use, and refuses the recommended positron-emission tomography/computed tomography scan for completion of cancer staging.
Conclusions: This case shows the importance of patient compliance and timely treatment of SCC and surgical wounds in an immunosuppressed individual.