Burn scar malignancies of the eyelids

Purpose: To study the clinicopathologic characteristics and treatment of ey elid carcinomas developing in thermal burn scars. Methods: A review of eight cases of eyelid burn scar malignancies: two from our own experience and six from published reports. Results: Reported cases of burn scar malignancy of the eyelid are short-lat ency basal cell carcinomas. All carcinomas arose from small superficial bur ns. These potentially aggressive tumors respond well to local excision. Conclusion: As with other areas of the body, eyelid burn scars may undergo neoplastic degeneration. These carcinomas are predominately short latency b asal cell carcinomas, rather than long-latency squamous cell carcinomas tha t are more common elsewhere in the body, including the head and neck region . Clinicians should be diligent in the long-term surveillance of all eyelid bums.