Woman with horn on her head set for removal operation

The villager has become known to local residents as the 'unicorn woman' since the abnormal growth has appeared and taken over the top of her head.

But although the 13cm-long single large mass is already a massive size, medical professionals are baffled by its apearance.

Liang Xiuzhen, the 87-year-old is a resident of Guiyan village in Ziyang City, in south-west China’s Sichuan Province.

According to Wang Chaojun, Xiuzhen’s son, his mother had something resembling a "black mole" growing on her head seven or eight years ago.

Chaojun said: "My mother complained about this mole-like growth on her head that itched all the time.

"We found ways to cure her itch using traditional Chinese medicine, and then left it be."

Two years ago however, the mole gave way to a small horn-like mass the size of a little finger

Xiuzhen accidentally "broke" the small horn this February, and in its place her current horn began growing rapidly over the past six months.

Chaojun said: "Now the horn hurts my mother and prevents her from sleeping. It also bleeds from time to time."

Doctors in Sichuan diagnosed the so-called unicorn horn as "cornu cutaneum" (cutaneous horn), a keratinous skin tumour that has the appearance of a horn.

Often small and benign, the growth can in some cases be much larger and malignant.

Chaojun said doctors believe they can remove the growth through surgery, but the family has its reservations due to Xiuzhen’s old age and are considering other options.

"My mother is old, and the horn is on her head which is a very sensitive area. I’m not confident [in the idea of surgery," he added. "If something goes wrong [during surgery], it would be terrible."