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Periocular Melanoma In Situ Treated With Imiquimod
Maxwell D Elia1, Sara E Lally, Allison M Hanlon
1*Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut; †Ocular Oncology Service, Wills Eye Hospital, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; ‡Department of Dermatology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut; and §Oculofacial Plastic Surgeons of Georgia, Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.A.
Purpose:
To evaluate the efficacy of topical 5% imiquimod cream in the treatment of periocular melanoma in situ (lentigo maligna).
Design:
Retrospective case series.
Subjects:
There were 12 patients in this series, and the mean patient age was 77 years. The anatomical locations were the lower eyelid (n=5), upper and lower eyelid (n=4), lower eyelid including the eyelid margin (n=1), brow (n=1), and the medial canthus (n=1). Topical 5% imiquimod cream was used as a primary treatment (n=6) or as an adjunctive therapy following local excision (n=2), cryotherapy (n=2), or excisional biopsy with cryotherapy (n=2).
Methods:
Twelve patients with periocular melanoma in situ were treated with topical 5% imiquimod cream daily for a mean treatment period of 3.9 months. The clinical features of the patients and the responses to treatment were evaluated in a retrospective case series.
Main Outcome Measures:
Histologic clearance of atypical melanocytes.
Results:
Eleven patients achieved complete histologic clearance of atypical melanocytes on post-treatment biopsy. One patient could not tolerate local irritation from imiquimod and stopped in the first month of therapy with residual disease. The median follow-up time was 1.5 years. Side effects included redness (n=12), discomfort (n=6), swelling (n=4), ectropion (n=1), and conjunctival chemosis (n=1). The patients experienced no systemic side effects from the treatment.
Conclusions:
Topical 5% imiquimod cream is an effective option as primary or adjunct therapy in the treatment of periocular melanoma in situ.
