Incidence of malignant eyelid tumors: A 6-year period review (2015–2021)

Abstract

Abstract Background: Basal cell carcinoma (BCC), the most common malignant tumor, accounts for 85%–95% of cases of eyelid malignant tumors. Demographic factors such as age, gender, tumor location, and subtype play a crucial role in epidemiological knowledge. We investigated eyelid BCC diagnosis and treatment at the Department of Ophthalmology in Centro Hospitalar de Setúbal (CHS). Methods: A retrospective study was conducted on patient cases with suspected eyelid epithelial tumors who underwent excisional biopsy surgery. The study included data from the CHS database between 2015 and 2021. Data collection and subsequent analysis were based on histopathological results. Results: In our study, were analyzed a total of 47 tumor cases, with 68.1% located on the lower eyelids and 31.9% on the upper eyelids. Among these cases, 25 (53.2%) were classified as benign, while 22 (46.8%) were identified as malignant eyelid tumors. BCCs accounted for 90.9% of all malignant cases, with an average age of 71.7 ± 16.6 years. The nodular subtype was the most prevalent, followed by infiltrative and superficial subtypes. Superficial BCC patients were older than infiltrative BCC patients (median age = 69.5 years vs. 61.5 years). BCC primarily affected the lower eyelids compared to the upper eyelid, and there was a slight female predominance (n = 11). All diagnosed BCCs correlated with sun-exposed regions. Conclusions: Timely intervention is crucial for reducing morbidity. These findings emphasize the need for improved registration and notification systems to enhance the prevention and treatment of eyelid BCCs. Furthermore, despite advancements in ultraviolet-blocking technologies, further development of sunscreen specifically formulated for ocular use remains necessary to reduce the incidence of eyelid tumors.