11 Management of Malignant Eyelid and Periocular Tumors

“Management of Malignant Eyelid and Periocular Tumors” discusses the many different treatment modalities that have been advocated, by a variety of medical practitioners, for the management of malignant tumors in the periocular region. It is essential to select the treatment modality best suited to the needs of the individual patient. The management of all malignant eyelid tumors depends on correct histological diagnosis, assessment of tumor margins, and assessment of local and systemic tumor spread. The selected treatment modality must be capable of totally eradicating all tumor cells to which it is applied, and there must be a mechanism to ensure that the treatment is applied to all the existing tumor cells. Tumors of the eyelids and canthi often exhibit slender strands and shoots of cancer cells that can infiltrate the local tissues beyond the clinically apparent borders of the tumor. Most malignant periocular tumors are basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas, for which the gold standard is Mohs’ micrographic surgery. The follow-up of patients with periocular malignant tumors is very important and depends on a number of variable factors.