Regression of Sebaceous Carcinoma of the Eyelid after a Small Incisional Biopsy: Report of Two Cases

Abstract

Purpose: To report 2 cases of regression of sebaceous carcinoma of the eyelid after a small incisional biopsy. Methods: Clinical, imaging, and histopathological findings are presented, with a literature review on regressing ocular tumors. Results: Our first patient was a 79-year-old man who presented with a 10-month history of progressive left upper eyelid ptosis caused by an eyelid tumor with orbital involvement and confirmed on magnetic resonance imaging. Our second patient was a 70-year-old woman who presented with ptosis with a left upper eyelid mass. Both patients underwent a small incisional biopsy of their lesion. The histopathological diagnoses in both cases were consistent with sebaceous carcinoma. Both patients refused exenteration. Follow-up clinical examination and imaging disclosed total regression of the ptosis and of the neoplasm with no sign of recurrence in both patients over a 4-year period for Case 1 and a 7-year period for Case 2. Conclusion: Regression following incisional biopsy of basal cell, squamous cell, and Merkel cell carcinoma, including of the eyelid, is well documented. To the best of our knowledge, our 2 cases of sebaceous carcinoma are the first to be reported with total involution clinically and on imaging of the tumor following partial incisional biopsy.

Spontaneous regression of presumed ocular surface squamous neoplasia: A report of 8 cases

“…5 Tumors with a tendency for spontaneous regression include testicular germ cell tumors, cutanenous melanomas, basal cell carcinoma, renal cell carcinoma and rarely breast carcinoma, carcinoma colon and neuroblastoma. 5 Ocular and periocular malignancies, rarely regress spontaneously but this phenomenon has been reported with periocular basal cell carcinoma, 11 sebaceous gland carcinoma, 12 eyelid Merkel cell carcinoma, 13 conjunctival lymphoma, 14 conjunctival melanoma 15 ocular surface squamous neoplasia, 6–10 keratoacanthoma, 8 choroidal melanoma, 16 retinoblastoma 17 and intraocular lymphoma. 18 The present study focussed on the clinical features and outcomes in spontaneously regressed presumed OSSN lesions of which, the literature is limited to isolated case reports.…”

Cytokeratin-20 negative nodal Merkel cell carcinoma with regressed primary: a potential pitfall in interpretation of nodal metastasis

“…It was first described by O'Rourke et. al in 1986 [6], with around 60 additional cases reported since then [7][8][9][10][11][12]. Spontaneous regression could explain the reported cases of MCC involving lymph nodes without a primary skin tumor [13][14][15][16][17].…”