A guide to cutaneous horns and their basal pathologies

People growing horns: it sounds, at first reading, like something out of a science fiction book. However, ‘cutaneous horn’ is a term used to describe a clinical sign. As we shall see, that sign may be associated with a number of different dermatological conditions. At the base of a cutaneous horn can be found a range of pathologies. These may be benign, premalignant or frankly malignant. In this article, we describe the clinical features and pathophysiology of cutaneous horns, before considering diagnosis of the base pathologies, factors associated with a higher risk of basal malignancy and management.