Eyelid Tumors at the University Eye Clinic of Ioannina, Greece: A 30-year Retrospective Study

AIMS: The aim was to describe the epidemiology of primary eyelid tumors over a 30-year period at the Ioannina University Eye Clinic, Greece. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This retrospective case series examined the histopathology of eyelid tumor specimens of patients treated between 1983 and 2012. Data were collected on patient age, gender, location of the lesion, extent of tumor excision and recurrence. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to describe the study subgroups. RESULTS: A total of 851 eyelid tumors comprised the study sample. There were 351 (41.2%) malignant cases and 500 (58.8%) benign cases. For malignant tumors, there were 86% basal cell carcinomas, 7% squamous cell carcinomas, and 7% basosquamous cell carcinomas. The benign eyelid lesions were comprised of 20% cysts, 18% seborrheic keratosis, 13% nevi, and 13% papillomas. Benign eyelid lesions occurred with equal frequency in the upper and lower lids. Malignant lesions were more frequently located in the lower lid. The mean age at diagnosis was 49 ± 1.45 years for patients with benign lesions and 67 ± 1.6 years for patients with malignant lesions. CONCLUSIONS: In this Greek cohort, benign eyelid lesions affected mostly young individuals, and malignant lesions occurred predominantly in elderly patients. Males and females were equally affected by malignant lesions, and recurrence after surgical excision was rare.