Cutaneous horns of the eyelid: a clinicopathological study of 48 cases.
BACKGROUND
Cutaneous horn (cornu cutaneum) is a morphological designation for a protuberant mass of keratin that resembles the horn of an animal. It results from unusual cohesiveness of keratinized material from the superficial layers of the skin or implanted deeply in the cutis. This lesion may be associated with a benign, premalignant, or malignant lesion at the base, masking numerous conditions.


METHODS
A retrospective analysis of 48 cases of cutaneous horns of the eyelid treated between 1992 and 2002 has been performed.


RESULTS
Twenty-four men and 19 women, with a mean age of 62 years (range 16-90), were treated by surgery. Histologically, 77.1% were associated with benign specimens at the base pathology, 14.6% were premalignant, and finally, 8.3% were caused by malignant skin tumors. The most common lesion was seborrheic keratosis among the benign lesions, actinic keratosis among the premalignant ones, and basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma among the malignant ones.


CONCLUSIONS
Cutaneous horns usually appear on exposed skin areas in elderly men. The important issue in this condition is not the horn itself, which is just dead keratin, but rather the nature of the underlying disease, although the horns are usually benign.
Mencía-Gutiérrez
Enrique
E
Department of Ophthalmology, 12 de Octubre Hospital, Complutense University, Cedro 23, E28250 Torrelodones, Madrid, Spain. emencia.hdoc@salud.madrid.org
Gutiérrez-Díaz
Esperanza
E
Redondo-Marcos
Irene
I
Ricoy
José R
JR
García-Torre
Juan P
JP
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002280:Basal Cell Carcinoma / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D012628:Dermatitis, Seborrheic / Q000473:pathology; D005142:Eyelid Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D005143:Eyelids / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007642:Keratosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010787:Photosensitivity Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology; D011230:Precancerous Conditions / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery