Turban tumor is a rare and striking abnormality affecting chiefly the skin of the scalp. First reported by Ancell1 in 1842, it was later named "turban tumor" because a scalp covered with the tumors has a fanciful resemblance to the Eastern headdress. Many names have been applied to the disease; the names are usually descriptive of the histological picture, an author's notions of pathogenesis, or the appearance of the patient. Cylindroma is a term frequently used by European authors. According to Stillians 2 this name was coined by Billroth in 1856 to designate these "epitheliomas in hyaline tubes," a description derived from the microscopic appearance.
Clinically the disease is characterized by the symptomless onset of slowly growing tumors on the scalp. It begins at or shortly after puberty. Over the course of many years the tumors increase in size and number. Ultimately they may cover the entire scalp with