title: Mitomycin C in pterygium treatment.
abstract: Pterygium is a benign lesion usually growing from the nasal side of the conjunctiva onto the cornea. Most cases of pterygium does not cause problem or requires specific treatment. The exact cause of pterygium is not clear yet, but some factors are pointed as causes, being the most important the long-term ultraviolet ray exposure. Pterygium surgery is usually considered when there are symptoms that do not respond to conservative treatment. Recurrence is the main complication of the surgery, and much has been done to avoid it. Mitomycin C (MMC) has been used as a fibroblast proliferation inhibitor during the surgery to reduce the chance of recurrence of the pterygium. This review describes the use of MMC as an adjunctive, the optimal dosage, the duration of administration of MMC and possible complications, when used during, after and before the surgery. Most studies suggest that increased exposure (dose or duration) of MMC is associated with a lower recurrence, but with higher risks of complications.
authors.affiliation: Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP), São Paulo 04023062, Brazil.
authors.forename: Thiago Gonçalves Dos Santos
authors.initials: TG
authors.lastname: Martins
authors.affiliation: University of São Paulo (USP), São Paulo 01246903, Brazil.
authors.forename: Ana Luiza Fontes de Azevedo
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Costa
authors.affiliation: University of São Paulo (USP), São Paulo 01246903, Brazil.
authors.forename: Milton Ruiz
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Alves
authors.affiliation: University of São Paulo (USP), São Paulo 01246903, Brazil.
authors.forename: Roger
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Chammas
authors.affiliation: Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP), São Paulo 04023062, Brazil.
authors.forename: Paulo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Schor
keywords: mitomycin C; pterygium surgery; recurrence rate