Frequency
Sex
Age
Race
The peak occurrence of cutaneous horn is in persons aged 60 years to mid 70s. Lesions with malignancy at the base occur more frequently in patients aged 70 years or older.
While these lesions are almost uniformly referred to as “rare” in the literature, neither the true incidence nor prevalence has been well described.
Because of the proportion of cutaneous horns that arise from actinic keratoses and squamous cell carcinomas, races with lighter complexions tend to be preferentially affected. However, several cases of cutaneous horns have been reported in patients of darker complexion, including those of African and Mexican descent.
A sex predilection for cutaneous horn has not been shown consistently. In men, the rate of malignancies at the base of the lesion is increased when compared with age-matched women, and some studies also have shown premalignant lesions to be slightly more common in men.
