Epidemiological Profile of Patients with Conjuntival Tumors in a Reference Ophthalmological Hospital in Eastern Amazonia

Abstract

This research aimed to report the prevalence of conjunctival tumors, and their severity between genders, age groups, and to observe the distribution of their laterality in patients of a public health service in Belém do Pará, in the Eastern Amazon, Brazil. Methods: Data were collected,at the Bettina de Souza Ferro University Hospital,in253medical records for the last 12 years (2010 to 2022),regarding conjunctival tumors were removed and examined histopathologically by the Department of Ophthalmology of the Federal University of Pará (UFPA). The incidence of tumorsundergoing excision surgery,the malignancy rate, and margins were investigated, and matched for gender, age, and laterality. Results: Subjects included161men and 92 women, with a mean age of 49.4± 47.2 years. Of these, 193 were benign tumors (76.3%), the most commonly found: 99 Pterygium; followed by 28Epidermoid Carcinomas;24Pyogenic Granulomas;20Intraepithelial Neoplasia and 18squamous papilloma. Among the 31 cases (23.7%) of malignant tumors, the number of male patients was 21 and female patients 10. Most malignant tumors were composed of squamous cell carcinoma (28 cases), followed by melanoma (3 cases). The mean age of patients with malignant tumors removed was 65.0 ± 31 years, as malignant tumors were more prevalent in older patients (chi-square,p<0.001). Conclusions: The most common conjunctival tumors were thepterygium and Epidermoid Carcinomas, more present in male patients, younger and older, respectively.