Conjunctival Intraepithelial Neoplasia – Clinical Presentation, Diagnosis and Treatment Possibilities

Conjunctival tumors are one of the most frequent tumors of the eye and adnexa. They comprise a large variety of conditions, from benign lesions such as papilloma to malignant lesions such as epidermoid carcinoma or melanoma which may threaten visual function and patient ́s life if not diagnosed early. Although conjunctival tumors may arise from any type of the conjunctival cells, epithelial and melanocytic are the most frequent origins. Epithelial tumors account for a third to half of all tumors, with a higher prevalence in countries with larger actinic exposure. Aproximately 40% of the tumors have an epithelial origin and 64.5 % of them were pre-cancerous lesions (Saornil et al, 2009). The clinical differentiation between pre-cancerous benign and malign lesions is difficult, requiring a biopsy for a definitive diagnosis.