Treatment of biopsy proved conjunctival intraepithelial neoplasia with topical interferon alfa-2b

Abstract

References

Topical chemotherapy for ocular surface squamous neoplasia: current status

“…IFN-α2b has shown favourable regression rates in published case series,5 41 but resolution of the lesion may take several months 7. Although MMC has the highest reported rate of side effects (76% of patients developing at least one side effect), this may be a skewed observation, as MMC is also the most frequently used topical chemotherapy agent 35.…”

Recurrence of Ocular Surface Squamous Neoplasia Treated With Excisional Biopsy and Cryotherapy

“…3,7,13,14 Topical monotherapy has the advantage of treating the entire ocular surface for subclinical disease; however, unlike a surgical approach, clinical resolution of the tumor is not immediate, with the average time for resolution with topical treatment often requiring months. 15,16 Furthermore, this requires the patient's continued adherence to a demanding regimen (often 4 times daily), as well as the patient's shouldering the nontrivial cost of these drugs, estimated to cost hundreds of dollars per treatment; 15,17 since the use of these medications for treating OSSN is considered ''off-label,'' it is not generally covered by insurance. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of excisional biopsy with adjuvant cryotherapy as a treatment of the initial presentation of OSSN, as measured by recurrence rate, in the face of increased practice patterns of topical chemotherapeutic monotherapy without concurrent excision and tissue diagnosis.…”

Prevalence and severity of ocular surface Neoplasia in African nations and need for early interventions

“…The cost of topical interferon is $300 per treatment compared to $150 per treatment for mitomycin- C and $100 per treatment for 5-FU. [18] A recent study in Angola provided 5-FU treatment (1% solution four times a day for 7 days) for a cost of $1 USD per treatment cycle, supporting the idea that 5-FU may be a much more economical treatment option in terms of cost in Africa. [6]…”

“…This may include looking for signs that are more prevalent in malignant cases, such as feeder vessels, gelatinous appearance and leukoplakia [Figure 1]. [818] These signs as well as others could be used to help develop a diagnostic algorithm, as proposed by Nguena et al, to help clinicians identify OSSN and know when to appropriately refer for more specialized care. [8] Tumor depth could also provide a simple clinical measure to use in order to differentiate between high risk OSSN and benign lesions.…”