Cutaneous horn

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Cutaneous horn
SkinTumors-P5280062.JPG
Actinic keratosis, pre-cancerous area of thick, scaly, or crusty skin (below) with cutaneous horn tissue (above)

Cutaneous horns, also known by the Latin name cornu cutaneum, are unusual keratinous skin tumors with the appearance of horns, or sometimes of wood or coral. Formally, this is a clinical diagnosis for a "conical projection above the surface of the skin." [1] They are usually small and localized but can, in very rare cases, be much larger. Although often benign, they can also be malignant or premalignant. [2]

Contents

Signs and symptoms

The lesion at the base of the keratin mound is benign in the majority of cases. Malignancy is present in up to 20% of cases, with squamous-cell carcinoma being the most common type. The incidence of squamous-cell carcinoma increases to 37% when the cutaneous horn is present on the penis. [3]

Cutaneous horn in right ear Cornu cutaneum 2.jpg
Cutaneous horn in right ear

Cause

The cause of cutaneous horns is still unknown, but it is believed that exposure to radiation can trigger the condition. This is evidenced by a higher rate of cases occurring on the face and hands, areas that are often exposed to sunlight. Moreover, there is a higher prevalence in Asian countries with a warm climate. Other cases have reported cutaneous horns arising from burn scars. [4] As with many other wart-like skin conditions, a link to the HPV virus family, especially the HPV-2 subtype has been suggested. [5]

Diagnosis

Histologically they are characterized by compact proliferation of keratin

Treatments

Treatment is surgical excision

Notable cases

See also

References

  1. ↑ Copcu, Eray; Sivrioglu, Nazan; Culhaci, Nil (2004). "Cutaneous horns: are these lesions as innocent as they seem to be?". World Journal of Surgical Oncology. 2: 18. doi: 10.1186/1477-7819-2-18 . PMC   421749 . PMID   15176977.
  2. ↑ Yu, R.C.H.; Pryce, D.W.; MacFarlane, A.W.; Stewart, T.W. (1991). "A histopathological study of 643 cutaneous horns". British Journal of Dermatology. 124 (5): 449–52. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2133.1991.tb00624.x. PMID   2039721. S2CID   73180732.
  3. ↑ Solivan, GA; Smith, KJ; James, WD (1990). "Cutaneous horn of the penis: Its association with squamous cell carcinoma and HPV-16 infection". Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. 23 (5 Pt 2): 969–72. doi:10.1016/0190-9622(90)70315-9. PMID   2172337.
  4. ↑ Nthumba, Peter M (2007). "Giant cutaneous horn in an African woman: a case report". Journal of Medical Case Reports. 1: 170. doi: 10.1186/1752-1947-1-170 . PMC   2225419 . PMID   18053226.
  5. ↑ Wang, W; Wang, C; Xu, S; Chen, C; Tong, X; Liang, Y; Dong, X; Lei, Y; Zheng, X (2007). "Detection of HPV-2 and identification of novel mutations by whole genome sequencing from biopsies of two patients with multiple cutaneous horns". Journal of Clinical Virology. 39 (1): 34–42. doi:10.1016/j.jcv.2007.01.002. PMID   17368088.
  6. ↑ Writers, Staff. (2010-03-09) Chinese woman Zhang Ruifang, aged 101, grows 'devil' horn Archived 2011-06-14 at the Wayback Machine . Herald Sun. Retrieved on 2010-10-27.
  7. ↑ "'Unicorn woman' set to have 'horn' removed from head after 13cm spike stops OAP sleeping". Mirror Online. 27 August 2015. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
  8. ↑ "China's Huang Yuanfan Sprouts 3-Inch Horn From Head". 10 January 2011. Archived from the original on 22 February 2011.
  9. ↑ "74-year-old MP man grows devil's horn after injury". India Today. 14 September 2009.
  10. ↑ The Mütter Museum. Corkscrew-balloon.com (2003-05-26). Retrieved on 2010-10-27.

Further reading

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