Management of eyelids' primary malignancies

Purpose: We report our experience in surgical management of primary malignant tumors of the eyelids. We have specified the various surgical techniques used, as well as functional and anatomical results.Patients and methods: A review of patients admitted for malignant tumor of the eyelids in the oculoplastic department of the Hedi Raies Institute of Ophthalmology from January 2012 to December 2021.Results: One hundred and twenty-three patients with malignant eyelid tumors were hospitalized. Surgical treatment involved 114 tumor lesions, which represents 95% of the cases. One hundred and eleven lesions (97.4%) had been operated by simple tumor resection. Safety margins were, respectively, 4 mm in 63.2% and from 5 to 6 mm in 34.2%. Extemporaneous histological examination was performed in three cases (2.6%). Reconstruction involved the anterior lamella (AL) in 92 cases (80.7%), the posterior lamella (PL) in 66 cases (57.9%), the medial canthus in 18 cases (15, 8%), and lateral canthus in 4 cases (3.5%). The excision was oncological in 85 cases (74.6%) and incomplete in 19 cases (16.7%). Tumor recurrence occurred in seven cases (6.1%), after an average delay of 36 months.Conclusion: The anatomical and functional features of the eyelids require a good reconstruction of the transfixion eyelid defect. Many reconstruction methods are available, allowing extensive and complex palpebral repairs. Oncologic prognosis is conditioned by the surgical quality.