EYELID TUMORS

The term "eyelid tumor" refers to any growth or lesion located on or around the eyelids. While many of these are benign (non-cancerous), some are malignant (cancerous).

The role of the Oculoplastic surgeon is to clinically evaluate these lesions to determine if they are suspicious for malignancy. If a tumor is cancerous, it requires specialized surgical removal and reconstruction. However, even benign tumors are frequently treated by Oculoplastic surgeons if they cause ocular irritation, interfere with vision, or affect the patient's appearance.

No! The term ‘tumor’ is broad and includes both benign eyelid lesions and cancers.

Basal cell carcinomas, also known as BCCs, are the most common eyelid cancers. Even though they are cancerous lesions, they tend to behave as benign lesions, in the sense that it takes a long time for them to metastasize and do not spread quickly (if treated promptly).

Most commonly, they appear on the lower eyelids as nodules that may bleed and scab. The typical characteristics of basal cell carcinomas include telangiectasias (widened blood vessels), loss of eyelashes, swelling and redness of the eyelid.

Other rarer forms of eyelid cancer include squamous cell carcinoma, sebaceous gland carcinoma, Merkel cell carcinoma, melanoma, and others.

Eyelid tumors can lead to changes in the structure of the eyelids, spread to the eye socket and therefore affect vision.

Treatment depends on many factors such as the type of tumor, age, location of the lesion, spread and the general health of the patient.

Primarily, the treatment is surgical with complete resection of the tumor. Accordingly, rehabilitation depends on the size of the lesion.