title: Secondary orbital tumors.
abstract: The authors reviewed their experience with 524 secondary orbital tumor cases diagnosed histopathologically during 1963-1993. Secondary tumors constituted 48.0% of all orbital biopsies during the same period. There were 186 (35.5%) cases with eyelid tumors, 146 (27.9%) cases with intraocular tumors, 137 (26.1%) cases with conjunctival tumors, 26 (5.0%) cases with nasopharyngeal tumors, 22 (4.2%) cases with sinus carcinomas, 3 (0.6%) cases with intracranial meningiomas, 3 (0.6%) cases with esthesioneuroblastomas, and 1 (0.2%) case with chordoma. The three most frequent tumors making secondary orbital invasion were basal cell eyelid carcinoma (129 cases; 24.6%), squamous cell conjunctival carcinoma (125 cases; 23.8%), and retinoblastoma (123 cases; 23.5%). Squamous cell carcinoma, from various sites of origin, was the most frequent histopathologic tumor variant, accounting for 215 (41.0%) cases. Exenteration was performed on 334 (63.7%) of 524 cases with secondary orbital invasion. The ignorance of many lid and conjunctival lesions until the advanced stages, which could otherwise be easily treatable, caused blindness and life-threatening complications under our conditions. Orbital invasion from ocular retinoblastoma and uveal malignant melanoma led to a markedly poor prognosis, again related to the late presentation of many patients. Lack of health consciousness, inadequate primary surgery, and/or insufficient follow-up were the main reasons for secondary orbital invasion in many tumor cases.
authors.affiliation: Ocular Oncology Department, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Günalp
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Gündüz
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001706:Biopsy; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D005134:Eye Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008875:Middle Aged; D009303:Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D009918:Orbital Neoplasms / Q000556:secondary* / Q000628:therapy; D010255:Paranasal Sinus Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D012189:Retrospective Studies