Topical mitomycin-C for pterygia: is single application appropriate?

Mitomycin-C has been shown to dramatically reduce pterygium recurrence rates; however, its use has been associated with serious complications, especially in higher cumulative doses. The authors investigated the safety and efficacy of progressively reducing dosages of mitomycin-C as an adjunct to pterygium surgery.

Four hundred eighty-one consecutive primary and recurrent pterygia were surgically excised in a prospective nonrandomized trial using five different mitomycin-C dosages. Recurrence was defined as fibrovascular tissue over the corneoscleral limbus onto clear cornea in the area of previous pterygium excision.

Seventy-seven patients in a control group without mitomycin-C had a recurrence rate of 65% with a mean follow-up of 33 months. A group of 77 patients treated with 0.4 mg/ml of mitomycin-C, four times per day for 2 weeks, had a recurrence rate of 2.5% with 6 (10%) serious complications (mean follow-up 34 months). A group of 22 patients treated with 0.2 mg/ml of mitomycin-C, four times per day for 10 days, had a recurrence rate of 55% with 3 (7.3%) non-vision-threatening complications (mean follow-up 32 months). A group of 16 patients treated with 0.2 mg/ml of mitomycin-C intraoperatively for 3 minutes without conjunctival closure had a recurrence rate of 44% with no complications (mean follow-up 35 months). Finally, a group of 289 patients treated with 0.2 mg/ml of mitomycin-C intraoperatively for 3 minutes with conjunctival closure had a recurrence rate of 2.7% and no complications (mean follow-up 26 months).

Although the authors' results with single application are encouraging, the use of mitomycin for pterygia remains controversial. The biologic potency of this agent, the duration of its action, and the dearth of large-scale controlled, randomized trials demand cautious individual judgment by the surgeon when considering the use of this potent drug.