Conjunctival invasive poorly differentiated squamous cell carcinoma in a 91-year-old female patient

The invasive conjunctival squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the eyeball is a malignant tumor that invades only the conjunctiva and rarely the eyeball and the tissue of the orbit. We presented the clinical case of a 91-year-old patient, hospitalized at the 2nd Ophthalmology Clinic of the "Prof. Dr. Nicolae Oblu" Emergency Clinical Hospital of Iasi, Romania, due to a solid tumor mass of approximately 1×2 cm, which was noticed under the bulbar conjunctiva of the right eye in the nasal sector. The magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examination showed an adherent tumor of the right eye sclera, presenting invasion into the tissue of the orbit. The right eyeball was enucleated en bloc with the adherent tumor and the partial exenteration of the nearby orbital tissue was carried out as well. The pathological examination revealed that the immunohistochemical (IHC) reactions turned positive for the anti-cytokeratin AE1/AE3 antibody and showed a relatively high Ki67 labeling index, but it did not show immunoreactivity for human melanoma black-45 (HMB-45) marker and S100 protein. The histopathological (HP) diagnosis was poorly differentiated SCC of the right ocular conjunctiva with infiltration of cornea, sclera and orbital connective and adipose tissues (pT4N0M0). The invasive conjunctival SCC requires an early diagnosis for elderly patients in order to prevent the ocular and orbital invasion and the appearance of metastases. This tumor rarely occurs during the ninth life decade, the literature reporting only three cases. HP examination of the lesion is the gold standard for diagnosis, especially when IHC stainings are added.