Management of eyelid sebaceous carcinomas

We retrospectively studied 14 patients confirmed histopathologically to have eyelid sebaceous carcinoma during 1986-1994. We removed all tumors totally with frozen section controls and performed reconstruction either by primary apposition or transposition flaps. We observed recurrence in 5 patients (35.7%) in whom a surgical margin of either 1 or 3 mm was taken but none in those with a 5-mm surgical margin. At least 5 mm of normal tissue around the tumor should be removed considering the metastatic potential of these tumors.