Eyelid Tumour Treatment

There are multiple treatment options, which include cryotherapy (freezing the lesion), creams (topical therapy), curretage (scraping the lesion away) and photodynamic therapy (laser treatment). For further information on these treatments please refer to the British Association of Dermatologists website (www.bad.org.uk)

Around the eyelids, the most common non-surgical treatment is probably a cream called 5-fluorouracil (Efudix). It is applied several times a day for a few weeks. It can make the skin red and inflamed before it gets better.

The management of eyelid tumours depends on many factors such as the age and general health of the patient, the nature of the tumour, and whether there has been spread to adjacent structures or elsewhere in the body.

It is vital to remove the tumour completely to minimize the risk of recurrence. However, because of the complex anatomical nature of the eyelids and their critical function in protecting the eye, it is preferable to preserve as much normal tissue as possible. For this reason, surgery is usually carried out in 2 stages in close collaboration with a histopathologist. Both the first and second stages of surgery are usually carried out under local anaesthetic as a day-case procedure.

The first stage is an ‘excision biopsy’, typically taking no more than 10 minutes. This involves removing all of the tumour, which is examined by a pathologist using a microscope and special ‘staining’ techniques. Within 24-48 hours, the pathologist is able to provide a definitive diagnosis and to give guidance as to whether excision is complete or whether more tissue needs to be removed before reconstruction. The wound is covered with a surgical dressing, until the second stage is carried out 2 days later.

The second stage involves reconstruction of the wound left by removal of the tumour. Reconstruction methods include direct closure of the defect, local tissue flaps (rotating or sliding skin across from one side), skin grafts (from the upper eyelid, or behind/in front of the ear usually).

All wounds are stitched and a surgical dressing is applied to cover the operation site.