Demographic and clinical features of conjunctival tumours at a tertiary care centre


Mirzayev I., GÜNDÜZ A. K., GÜNDÜZ Ö. Ö., Ates F. S. O., Baytaroglu H. N.

CLINICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL OPTOMETRY, vol.105, no.7, pp.708-714, 2022 (SCI-Expanded) identifier identifier identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 105 Issue: 7
  • Publication Date: 2022
  • Doi Number: 10.1080/08164622.2021.1971048
  • Journal Name: CLINICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL OPTOMETRY
  • Journal Indexes: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, Academic Search Premier, CINAHL, EMBASE, MEDLINE
  • Page Numbers: pp.708-714
  • Keywords: Conjunctival intraepithelial neoplasia, conjunctival melanoma, conjunctival naevus, conjunctival squamous cell carcinoma, conjunctival tumours, SURFACE SQUAMOUS NEOPLASIA, LESIONS, BENIGN
  • Ankara University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

Background Conjunctival tumours include a large spectrum of conditions ranging from benign lesions to aggressive, life-threatening malignancies. Knowing the distribution of conjunctival tumours by age and gender is important for reducing cancer morbidity. Methods The clinical records of 375 patients (410 eyes) diagnosed with a conjunctival mass at a tertiary referral centre between February 1999 and November 2020 were retrospectively evaluated. Results Two-hundred-seventeen (57.9%) patients were male and 158 (42.1%) were female. Of 410 conjunctival tumours, 159 (38.8%) were benign, 106 (25.9%) premalignant, and 145 (35.4%) malignant. Overall, the 3 most common diagnoses were squamous cell carcinoma (SCC, 19.5%), conjunctival intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN, 18.3%), and naevus (17.8%). The most common benign, premalignant, and malignant tumours were naevus (n = 73/159, 45.9%), CIN (n = 75/106, 70.8%), and SCC (n = 80/145, 55.2%) respectively. Naevus was the most common tumour in <= 20 years and > 20-40 years old patient groups (56.2% and 25.4% respectively). CIN was the most frequent tumour in patients aged > 40-60 years (25.7%). SCC was the most common tumour in > 60-80 years and > 80 years old patient groups (44.3% and 80.0% respectively). The median patient age was greater in patients with malignant tumours (64.5 years) compared to patients with premalignant (55.5 years, p = 0.011) and benign tumours (22.0 years, p < 0.001). Malignant tumours displayed larger base diameter, greater thickness, and intrinsic vessels compared to premalignant or benign lesions (p < 0.001 for each parameter). Malignant tumours also displayed more amelanotic vs melanotic appearance (p < 0.001) and limbal vs extralimbal bulbar location compared to benign lesions (p < 0.001). Conclusion Premalignant and malignant tumours comprised 61.2% of all conjunctival tumours and were usually detected in patients > 40 years of age in this study.