Sebaceous gland carcinoma of the eyelids

Abstract

Objective: To analyze the clinical presentation and treatment response of Sebaceous Gland Carcinoma (SGC) of the eyelid in our working setup. Material & Methods: It was a retrospective, non-comparative, observational case series study, conducted at the Department of Ophthalmology, Dow Medical College & Civil Hospital, Karachi and the Department of Ophthalmology Sindh Govt. Qatar Hospital Karachi, over a period of twenty three years from January 1985 to December 2008. In this study fifteen patients with histo-pathologically confirmed Sebaceous Gland Carcinoma (SGC) treated at different places were subjected to retrospective analysis. Clinical data of all patients including patients' history, clinical features, therapy, and outcome were collected from the hospital records. Results: Nine men (60%) and 6 women (40%) with a mean age of 55 years (range: 41-80 years) were treated for SGC on pathological diagnosis by excision biopsy. Majority of the cases i.e. 11 (73.33%) involved the lower eye lid. The initial diagnosis had been correct in only 3 cases (20%) of the 15 cases with majority of the patients, 8 (53%) being mislabeled as having chalazion. The major age group involved was between 66-75 years with 33% of the cases. The tumor was generally 5-10 mm in size. All the 15 cases underwent primary surgical excision and were subsequently followed for a minimum of one year with no recurrence. Conclusion: Early diagnosis and consequent surgical therapy of SGC of the eyelid leads to a better outcome and higher survival rates than generally assumed.