Primary Malignant Epithelial Tumors of the Lacrimal Drainage System: A Major Review

Purpose: To perform a literature review on the primary malignant epithelial tumors (PMET) involving the lacrimal drainage system (LDS).Methods: The authors performed a PubMed search of all articles published in English on primary malignant epithelial tumors of the lacrimal sac and the nasolacrimal duct. Data analyzed include prevalence, demographics, clinical presentation, histopathological subtypes, management modalities, outcomes, and recurrence rates.Results: Malignant epithelial tumors of the lacrimal sac are commonly diagnosed in the fifth to seventh decades of life (mean age: 58 years) and have no gender predilection. Typical clinical presentation includes epiphora (84%) and lacrimal fossa mass lesion (78%). Pain (9%) and blood-stained epiphora (4%) were inconsistent findings. Among the PMET, squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs) were the most common (61%) followed by transitional cell carcinomas (TCC; 15%), and mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC; 7%). Complete surgical excision followed by radiotherapy (59%) was the preferred modality of management, and only 18% required orbital exenteration. Of the 331 tumors with available treatment details, 85% survived at a mean follow-up of 33 months. The overall recurrence rate following treatment was 20% (65/331). MECs of the lacrimal sac had the best while adenoid cystic carcinoma had the worst prognosis.Conclusion: Blood-stained epiphora was not the classical presentation for primary epithelial malignancies of the LDS. No validated staging system exists for lacrimal drainage tumors. There is a need for consistent and detailed reporting in the literature, more so on the histological subtypes and their management.