Abstract
Linear exophytic cutaneous lesions (brand keratomas) are a chronic sequel to hot-iron branding in a small proportion of beef cattle in the western United States. Rarely, brand keratomas progress to form large ulcerated masses. Samples of chronically thickened skin were collected from 8 adult cattle with hot-brand lesions and from 2 cattle with ulcerated masses at brand sites. Cutaneous thickening was attributable to abrupt transition from normal haired skin to regular epidermal hyperplasia with marked orthokeratotic hyperkeratosis, acanthosis, hypopigmentation, and loss of adnexae. Epithelial atypia was absent. Normal dermal collagen was replaced by mature granulation tissue containing islands of dense hyalinized collagen. Two cows, aged 5 and 13 years, developed large, slow-growing squamous cell carcinomas at brand sites. Malignancy in branded skin is a rare complication of hot-iron branding in cattle and may arise because of malignant transformation of brand keratomas.