Background: Squamous cell carcinoma is the most frequently encountered malignant tumour of the conjunctiva. The objective of this study was to describe the clinicopathological features of patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the conjunctiva seen at a large ophthalmologic hospital in Mexico City.
Methods: We reviewed the clinical and pathological files of all patients with documented squamous cell carcinoma of the conjunctiva seen at the hospital between 1957 and 1996.
Results: A total of 287 cases (286 patients) were reviewed. The mean age of the patients was 60.4 (range 12 to 99) years; 55% were male. The clinical diagnosis was accurate in 41% of cases. Typical keratinized squamous cell carcinoma of the conjunctiva accounted for 98% of the lesions, and there were small numbers of histologic variants: lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma (three cases), spindle cell carcinoma (two cases) and mucoepidermoid carcinoma (one case). Evidence of local extension of the tumour was found in 150 patients (52%), with the cornea being most frequently involved (108 cases [38%]). Regional metastasis was found in two patients, to a submandibular lymph node in one and to a preauricular lymph node in the other. The most common form of treatment was local resection (258 cases [90%]). The mean length of follow-up was 7.7 (range 2 to 24) months. The recurrence rate was 5.2%.
Interpretation: We report a large series of patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the conjunctiva. The incidence of local extension was high. Three cases of lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma, a variant not previously reported in the conjunctiva, were encountered and were confirmed by immunohistochemical reactions.