Mucoepidermoid carcinoma of the conjunctiva - A series of three cases

Objective: To detail the clinical presentation and outcomes of currently av ailable treatments for mucoepidermoid carcinoma of the conjunctiva (MCC). Design: Retrospective noncomparative case series. Participants: Three patients ranging from 40 to 63 years of age with MCC pa rticipated. Intervention: Excisional biopsies and various therapies were performed. Main Outcome Measures: Clinical and surgical outcomes were measured. Results: Patient 1 is a 55-year-old man with right temporal MCC. He underwe nt two local excisions with adjuvant cryotherapy and has had no recurrence at 31 months follow-up. Patient 2 is a 63-year-old man with right temporal MCC who underwent fractionated iodine 125 plaque radiotherapy, He had a rec urrence approximately 8 months after plaque treatment and subsequently unde rwent enucleation of the right eye. Clinical follow-up examinations reveale d no further recurrence at 17 months. Patient 3 is a 40-year-old woman trea ted for right MCC with carbon dioxide laser with recurrence at 3 weeks. She subsequently underwent radiation treatment with the development of regiona l lymph node metastases 16 months later. Conclusions: MCC is a rare neoplasm that displays an extraordinary capacity for aggressive local invasion. This series of three case reports demonstra tes the high recurrence rate of MCC and the response of this tumor to diffe rent current modalities of treatment. Extended follow-up is required with t his tumor because distant metastases can occur very late. (C) 2000 by the A merican Academy of Ophthalmology.