Conjunctival squamous papilloma refractory to interferon α-2b in a patient on systemic immunosuppression (tacrolimus)

To describe a case of diffuse conjunctival papilloma in an immunocompromised individual on tacrolimus that was refractory to treatment with interferon α-2b, but responded to topical mitomycin-c.

A 79-year-old Caucasian female with a history of a liver transplant twenty years ago, who was immunosuppressed with tacrolimus (2 mg daily) presented with a diffuse conjunctival and corneal squamous papilloma. Following treatment with four weekly subconjunctival interferon-α2b injections (3 million units/0.5 mL) and 3 months of topical interferon-α2b therapy (1 million units/mL), four times daily, slow progression was documented. The patient was switched to topical mitomycin-c drops (0.04%) administered four times daily (one week on and one week off) with dramatic regression of the tumor.

In cases of conjunctival squamous papilloma that do not respond readily to topical interferon, topical mitomycin-c is an alternate therapeutic option. We hypothesize that use of tacrolimus may have contributed to the lack of response to topical interferon-α2b.