Cutaneous horn

Cutaneous horn
Classification and external resources
eMedicine	article/1056568

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]

Etiology

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. Other cases have reported cutaneous horns arising from burn scars.^[3] As with many other wart-like skin conditions, a link to the HPV virus family, especially the HPV-2 subtype has been suggested.^[4]

Prominent cases

• Zhang Ruifang, aged 101 (living in Linlou Village, Henan province, China), has grown a cutaneous horn on her forehead, resembling what those who have examined her and her family call "Devil's Horns." Notably, this growth has expanded to reach a total of 6 centimeters in length. Another is forming on the opposite side of her forehead.^[5]
• Madame Dimanche, called Widow Sunday, a French woman living in Paris in the early 19th century, grew, in six years from the age of 76, a 24.9 cm (9.8") horn from her forehead before it was successfully removed by French surgeon Br. Joseph Souberbeille (1754–1846). A wax model of her head is on display at the Mütter Museum, The College of Physicians of Philadelphia, US.^[6]

Mortality/Morbidity

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.^[7] Tenderness at the base of the lesion is often a clue to the presence of a possible underlying squamous cell carcinoma.

Treatments

As the horn is composed of keratin, the same material found in fingernails, the horn can usually be removed with a sterile razor.

However, the underlying condition will still need to be treated. Treatments vary, but they can include surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy.

See also

• Wart
• Epidermodysplasia verruciformis
• List of cutaneous conditions

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. http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pmcentrez&artid=421749. 
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. 
3. ^ 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. http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pmcentrez&artid=2225419. 
4. ^ Wang, W; Wang, C; Xu, S; Chen, C; Tong, X; Liang, Y; Dong, X; Lei, Y et al. (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. 
5. ^ Writers, Staff. (2010-03-09) Chinese woman Zhang Ruifang, aged 101, grows 'devil' horn. Herald Sun. Retrieved on 2010-10-27.
6. ^ The Mütter Museum. Corkscrew-balloon.com (2003-05-26). Retrieved on 2010-10-27.
7. ^ 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. PMID 2172337. 

External links

• Matthew Moore (2007-11-12). "Tree man 'who grew roots' may be cured". London: Daily Telegraph. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/11/12/wtree112.xml. Retrieved 2007-11-14. 
• "Images of cutaneous horns". DermAtlas. http://dermatlas.med.jhmi.edu/derm/result.cfm?Diagnosis=-1446579306. Retrieved 2007-11-14. 
• DiClaudio, Dennis (2006) "The Hypochondriac's Pocket Guide to Horrible Diseases You Probably Already Have", Bloomsbury Publishing, ISBN 978-1-59691-061-4
• Women grows Cutaneous horn

This Epidermal nevi, neoplasms, cysts article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.v · Categories: Epidermal nevi, neoplasms, cysts Oncology stubs Epidermal nevi, neoplasm, cyst stubs Wikimedia Foundation. 2010. Игры ⚽ Поможем написать реферат Roundstone Music 2008 European Grand Prix Look at other dictionaries: cutaneous horn — a horny excrescence of the skin, usually on the scalp or face; these sometimes overlie premalignant keratoses or squamous or basal cell carcinoma. Cutaneous horn arising from an actinic keratosis …   Medical dictionary Cutaneous innervation — refers to the area of the skin which is supplied by a specific cutaneous nerve. Dermatomes are similar; however, a dermatome only specifies the area served by a spinal nerve. In some cases, the dermatome is less specific (when a spinal nerve is… …   Wikipedia Cutaneous conditions — There are many conditions of or affecting the human integumentary system the organ system that comprises the entire surface of the body and includes skin, hair, nails, and related muscle and glands.[1] Contents 1 Diseases 2 History …   Wikipedia horn — Any structure resembling a h. in shape. SYN: cornu (1). [A.S.] Ammon h. [TA] one of the two interlocking gyri composing the hippocampus, the other being the dentate gyrus. Based on cytoarchitectural features, Ammon h. can be divided into …   Medical dictionary List of cutaneous conditions — This is an incomplete list, which may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by expanding it with reliably sourced entries. See also: Cutaneous conditions, Category:Cutaneous conditions, and ICD 10… …   Wikipedia Occipital horn syndrome — Classification and external resources OMIM 304150 DiseasesDB 33413 Occipital horn syndrome (OHS), formerly considered a variant of Eh …   Wikipedia cornu cutaneum — cutaneous horn …   Medical dictionary Human papillomavirus — Taxobox image size = 190px image caption =EM of papillomavirus virus group = i ordo = Unranked familia = Papillomaviridae subdivision ranks = Genera subdivision = Alphapapillomavirus Betapapillomavirus Gammapapillomavirus Mupapillomavirus… …   Wikipedia cornu — 1. [TA] SYN: horn. 2. Any structure composed of horny substance. 3. One of the coronal extensions of the dental pulp underlying a cusp or lobe. 4. The major subdivisions of the lateral …   Medical dictionary Squamous-cell carcinoma — Squamous cell carcinoma, NOS Classification and external resources SCC of the skin tends to arise from pre malignant lesions, actinic keratoses; surface is usually scaly and often ulcerates (as shown here). ICD 10 …   Wikipedia 18+ © Academic, 2000-2024 Contact us: Technical Support, Advertising Dictionaries export, created on PHP, Joomla, Drupal, WordPress, MODx. Mark and share Search through all dictionaries Translate… Search Internet Share the article and excerpts Direct link … Do a right-click on the link above and select “Copy Link”