Like elsewhere in the body tumours may be benign or malignant, which
may be primary or secondary. The foot shows three types of benign tumour: those
that are latent or active, and finally those which are locally invasive but do
not metastasise.
Primary
malignancy is relatively rare but can arise in any of the tissues which go to
make up the structure of the foot. They are usually graded on the basis of their
differentiation, whether they cross anatomical barriers and obviously whether
they have metastasised. More common are metastases from the common malignant
tumours: lung, breast and prostate.
Plain
X-rays can be helpful, but for thorough preoperative analysis of a tumour,
investigations such as computerised tomography (CT) scans, technetium bone
scans, MRI scans and high-resolution ultrasound for the vascular tumours may be
necessary. Serological studies and investigations such as chest X-rays looking
for evidence of distant spread may be required.
Treatment
This may involve simple local excision through to amputation,
depending on the nature and extent of the tumour. In the foot it is particularly
important to take into account the local anatomy when planning tumour excision.