Background: Cutaneous horn is a macroscopical designation to describe so many benign and malignant epidermal tumors which share unique morphological characteristics in common; hyperkeratotic colonial excrescence in which the height of the tumor must exceed at least one-half of its greatest diameter. There are some noticeable reports showing that cutaneous horn lesions with a wide tumor base or a low height-to-base ratio have a tendency to be malignant or premalignant in nature.
Objectives: To examine the possibility of discrimination between benign cutaneous horn cases and malignant or premalignant ones by using their height-to-base ratio, such cases were compared from the standpoints of the morphological data as well as their ages.
Methods: Surgically excised 14 specimens out of 13 patients of cutaneous horn were entered, and were divided into two groups; benign tumor group and the other one consisting of malignant or premalignant lesions. The two groups were compared from the standpoints of their height-to-base ratio and the ages.
Results: (p<0.05) The average age of malignant or premalignant tumor group was higher than that of benign tumor group. There was no significant difference of the greatest diameters between the benign group and malignant one. No significant difference was found between the height-to-base ratio of benign and malignant groups.
Conclusion: The discrepancy of the data between the literatures and ours may be due the difference of the numbers of patients. However, in the light of some cases of malignancy showing high height-to-base ratio, definite pathological diagnosis should be made to avoid misdiagnosis.
