Squamous cell carcinoma of the eyelid arising from palpebral conjunctiva

We reported a 58-year-old Japanese man with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the left upper eyelid arising from the palpebral conjunctiva. The tumor had been incised by a former doctor under the diagnosis of chalazion. Histopathological examination of the relapsed tumor revealed atypical squamous cells invading towards the eyelid skin from the epithelium of palpebral conjunctiva. We performed a total resection of the tumor and reconstructed the upper eyelid by the technique of Mustarde's switch flap. During 10 months of follow-up, neither local recurrence nor metastasis has been detected and the reconstructed eyelids showed good course in function and in appearance. SCC of the palpebral conjunctiva is quite rare, however, it often resembles chronic conjunctivitis or chalazion. It is important to consider the possibility of SCC in addition to sebaceous carcinoma when we see a patient with an eyelid lesion, even one which looks like a benign condition such as chronic conjunctivitis or chalazion.