Eyelid Tumors: Emerging Medical Therapy

Malignant tumors of the eyelid account for between 5% and 10% of all skin cancers, with an incidence of 15.7 cases per 100,000 individuals per year in the United States [1]. The most common eyelid malignancy is basal cell carcinoma (BCC) representing 86% of the cases, followed by squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) (7%), sebaceous cell carcinoma (Seb Ca) (3%), and Merkel cell carcinoma and melanoma (<1%) [2, 3]. The standard primary treatment for all eyelid cancers involves surgical excision with negative margins, though there still remains debate over the appropriate margin recommendations for each type of malignancy [4]. Alternative treatments are needed to preserve ocular and periorbital tissues in patients with locally advanced or recurring tumors, especially after several prior operations, or in patients with metastasis.