Surgical Management of Periocular Cancers: High- and Low-Risk Features Drive Treatment

Recent advances in the treatment of eyelid tumors have centered on the excision, evaluation of margins, role of sentinel lymph node biopsy, and adjunctive/adjuvant systemic and radiation therapy. The purpose of this review is to elaborate on these advances.

Mohs excision of basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma continues to provide the greatest success in complete excision of the cancer, especially in those cases of high-risk disease including medial canthal location and recurrent disease. Sentinel lymph node biopsy has proven useful in the assessment of early regional metastasis in sebaceous cell carcinoma, melanoma, and Merkel cell carcinoma. The pathologic finding of perineural invasion is a high-risk feature in all periocular cancers, and adjuvant therapy should be considered. Targeted therapy shows great potential in situations that are not amenable to complete excision without sacrificing the globe. Identification of high- and low-risk features in eyelid cancers allows a stratified approach to treatment. While high-risk features may require adjuvant therapy, larger margins, and sentinel lymph node biopsy, low-risk features may allow topical therapy to adequately address the condition. Monoclonal antibodies and small molecule inhibitors show great promise in the treatment of extensive disease.