MALIGNANT EYELID LESIONS

Course overview

MALIGNANT EYELID LESIONS MAY APPEAR SIMILAR TO, AND IN MANY CASES ARISE FROM, BENIGN OR PRE-MALIGNANT LESIONS. A THOROUGH HISTORY, CAREFUL OBSERVATION, AND PROMPT REFERRAL FOR BIOPSY ARE CRITICAL FOR IMPROVED OUTCOMES. THE MOST COMMON MALIGNANCIES OF THE EYELID INCLUDE BASAL CELL AND SQUAMOUS CELL CARCINOMA. OTHER MALIGNANT EYELID LESIONS SUCH AS MERKEL CELL CARCINOMA, MELANOMA, SEBACEOUS CARCINOMA, LYMPHOMA, AND METASTATIC CANCER ARE LESS COMMON BUT SHOULD BE CONSIDERED. FEATURES THAT INCREASE SUSPICION OF MALIGNANCY INCLUDE GROWTH RATE, APPEARANCE, LOCATION OF THE LESION, HISTORY OF ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT EXPOSURE, AND OTHER RISK FACTORS SUCH AS SYSTEMIC IMMUNOSUPPRESSION OR CANCER. THIS ACTIVITY HIGHLIGHTS THE ROLE OF THE INTERPROFESSIONAL TEAM IN THE MANAGEMENT OF PATIENTS WITH MALIGNANT EYELID LESIONS.