Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsSymptomsCausesDiagnosisTreatmentPrognosis
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Symptoms
Causes
Diagnosis
Treatment
Prognosis
A skin horn (also known as a cutaneous horn orcornu cutaneum) is a lesion that resembles an animal horn.The horn is a hard outgrowth of abnormally shaped tissue made of keratin—the primary protein of the surface layer of skin that forms its rigidity and provides barrier protection. Keratin is also found in the nails and hair.
The anomaly gets its name because it curves upward as it grows, causing it to appear like the horn of an animal. The very first case of a skin horn was documented in 1588 in an elderly Welsh woman named Mrs. Margeret Gryffith.
Reproduced with permission from ©DermNet New Zealandwww.dermnetnz.org2023.
Skin Horn Symptoms
A cutaneous horn is a growth on the skin that can appear like a horn. Some characteristics of a cutaneous horn include:
The growth can be found on different areas of the body, but according to a 2010 study, it is most commonly present in areas exposed to the sun, such as the face and head.
Other areas in which a cutaneous horn may be found include:
Often there are no symptoms, other than the horn itself, but injuries commonly occur to the horn, causing pain and inflammation.
In some instances, there are symptoms such as induration (a localized hardened area of soft tissue) or inflammation at the base of the skin horn, which may indicate the presence of underlying squamous cell carcinoma.
A 2018 study found that areas of the body that are exposed to the sun, such as the backs of the hands, nose, scalp, and forearms, have twice the risk of having a pre-malignant or malignant lesion on the base of the cutaneous horn when compared with other areas of the body. Skin horns on the face and the cartilaginous area of the ears are also commonly linked with malignancy (cancer).
A cutaneous horn may arise from various lesions, including:
Malignant vs. Benign Tumors: What Are the Differences?
The reason some people get skin horns and others don’t is unknown.
A 2010 study found that women were slightly more likely than men to get a cutaneous horn. The study also reported that the skin irregularity occurs most often in people between 60 and 70 years of age. Among the 222 cutaneous horn cases studied, 41% of the lesions were benign and 59% were found to be pre-malignant or malignant.
A biopsy includes removing the skin horn, then sending it to the lab to be examined under a microscope for the presence of cancerous cells.
The treatment of a cutaneous horn depends on what type of lesion is involved.
Cutaneous Horn Removal
Cancerous Lesions
If squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is the culprit, the treatment depends on the stage of cancer, which denotes whether cancer has spread. When SCC is found early on, there are several types of treatment, including:
The prognosis of a disease is an estimate of its treatment outcome, based on medical research studies that evaluate many others having been treated for the same disease. The prognosis of skin horn treatment depends largely on the type of underlying lesion linked with the anomaly.
A Word From Verywell
If you have a skin horn associated with cancer, such as squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), be sure to discuss treatment options with your healthcare provider. The exact type of cancer treatment depends on many factors, including your age, overall health, and the size, location, and depth of the lesion, as well as whether the cancer is localized or has metastasized (spread) to other areas.
Work with your healthcare team to determine the best course of treatment for you.
7 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Cleveland Clinic.Skin.Pyne J, Sapkota D, Wong JC.Cutaneous horns: clues to invasive squamous cell carcinoma being present in the horn base. Dermatol Pract Concept. 2013 Apr;3(2):3-7. doi:10.5826/dpc.0302a02Pyne J, Sapkota D, Wong JC.Cutaneous horns: clues to invasive squamous cell carcinoma being present in the horn base. Dermatol Pract Concept. 2013 Apr;3(2):3-7. doi:10.5826/dpc.0302a02Mantese SA, Diogo PM, Rocha A, Berbert AL, Ferreira AK, Ferreira TC.Cutaneous horn: a retrospective histopathological study of 222 cases. An Bras Dermatol. 2010;85(2):157-163. doi:10.1590/s0365-05962010000200005Primary Care Dermatology Society.Cutaneous horn.Phulari R, Rathore R, Talegaon T, Shah A.Cutaneous horn: A mask to underlying malignancy. J Oral Maxillofac Pathol. 2018;22(4):87. doi:10.4103/jomfp.JOMFP_156_17E Skin Cancer Foundation.Squamous cell carcinoma treatment.
7 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Cleveland Clinic.Skin.Pyne J, Sapkota D, Wong JC.Cutaneous horns: clues to invasive squamous cell carcinoma being present in the horn base. Dermatol Pract Concept. 2013 Apr;3(2):3-7. doi:10.5826/dpc.0302a02Pyne J, Sapkota D, Wong JC.Cutaneous horns: clues to invasive squamous cell carcinoma being present in the horn base. Dermatol Pract Concept. 2013 Apr;3(2):3-7. doi:10.5826/dpc.0302a02Mantese SA, Diogo PM, Rocha A, Berbert AL, Ferreira AK, Ferreira TC.Cutaneous horn: a retrospective histopathological study of 222 cases. An Bras Dermatol. 2010;85(2):157-163. doi:10.1590/s0365-05962010000200005Primary Care Dermatology Society.Cutaneous horn.Phulari R, Rathore R, Talegaon T, Shah A.Cutaneous horn: A mask to underlying malignancy. J Oral Maxillofac Pathol. 2018;22(4):87. doi:10.4103/jomfp.JOMFP_156_17E Skin Cancer Foundation.Squamous cell carcinoma treatment.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Cleveland Clinic.Skin.Pyne J, Sapkota D, Wong JC.Cutaneous horns: clues to invasive squamous cell carcinoma being present in the horn base. Dermatol Pract Concept. 2013 Apr;3(2):3-7. doi:10.5826/dpc.0302a02Pyne J, Sapkota D, Wong JC.Cutaneous horns: clues to invasive squamous cell carcinoma being present in the horn base. Dermatol Pract Concept. 2013 Apr;3(2):3-7. doi:10.5826/dpc.0302a02Mantese SA, Diogo PM, Rocha A, Berbert AL, Ferreira AK, Ferreira TC.Cutaneous horn: a retrospective histopathological study of 222 cases. An Bras Dermatol. 2010;85(2):157-163. doi:10.1590/s0365-05962010000200005Primary Care Dermatology Society.Cutaneous horn.Phulari R, Rathore R, Talegaon T, Shah A.Cutaneous horn: A mask to underlying malignancy. J Oral Maxillofac Pathol. 2018;22(4):87. doi:10.4103/jomfp.JOMFP_156_17E Skin Cancer Foundation.Squamous cell carcinoma treatment.
Cleveland Clinic.Skin.
Pyne J, Sapkota D, Wong JC.Cutaneous horns: clues to invasive squamous cell carcinoma being present in the horn base. Dermatol Pract Concept. 2013 Apr;3(2):3-7. doi:10.5826/dpc.0302a02
Mantese SA, Diogo PM, Rocha A, Berbert AL, Ferreira AK, Ferreira TC.Cutaneous horn: a retrospective histopathological study of 222 cases. An Bras Dermatol. 2010;85(2):157-163. doi:10.1590/s0365-05962010000200005
Primary Care Dermatology Society.Cutaneous horn.
Phulari R, Rathore R, Talegaon T, Shah A.Cutaneous horn: A mask to underlying malignancy. J Oral Maxillofac Pathol. 2018;22(4):87. doi:10.4103/jomfp.JOMFP_156_17
E Skin Cancer Foundation.Squamous cell carcinoma treatment.
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