Eyelid neoplasms in the Beijing Tongren Eye Centre between 1997 and 2006.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE To examine the spectrum of eyelid neoplastic specimens obtained at the Beijing Tongren Eye Centre between 1997 and 2006. PATIENTS AND METHODS A total of 2,639 eyelid neoplasms were included in the study. RESULTS Of the 2,639 eyelid specimens, 2,276 (86.2%) were benign and 363 (13.8%) were malignant. The most common benign lesions were inflammatory lesions, melanocytic nevi, papillomas, dermoid and epidermoid cysts, and epithelial cysts. The most common malignant or semi-malignant tumors were basal cell carcinomas, sebaceous gland carcinomas, lymphomas, squamous cell carcinomas, and malignant melanomas. The mean age at diagnosis was 41 years for benign lesions and 60 years for malignant tumors. There was no significant gender predilection among the five major non-benign eyelid tumors. CONCLUSION At the BeijingTongren Eye Centre between 1997 and 2006, the predominant non-benign eyelid tumors were basal cell carcinoma and sebaceous gland carcinoma, followed by lymphoma. The non-benign lesions occurred predominantly in elderly patients who were 60 years of age and older.