ABSTRACT

To evaluate the clinical characteristics and treatment results in patients who were diagnosed to have ocular adnexal lymphoma (OAL).

We retrospectively evaluated twenty-six patients with OAL who were diagnosed and treated in the Oncology Service, Department of Ophthalmology, Ankara University School of Medicine, between October 1998 and 2011.

There were 16 women and 10 men. The mean age was 61.6 (range: 27-76) years. The tumor affected the conjunctiva in 10 patients, the orbit in 8 patients, eyelids in 3 patients, the lacrimal gland in 3 patients, the conjunctiva and the orbit in 2 patients. A diagnostic incisional biopsy or subtotal tumor excision was generally performed. Total surgical excision, if possible, was performed in some cases. Histopathologically, all the tumors were diagnosed as B cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma. External beam radiotherapy (EBRT) was given in 19 patients, and chemotherapy in three patients because of systemic involvement. Combination of EBRT and chemotherapy was given in two patients. Three patients underwent total surgical excision. Orbital recurrence was detected in one patient during the mean follow-up period of 27 months (range: 2-72 months). At the end of the follow-up period, five cases developed keratopathy secondary to radiotherapy. One patient died from intracranial lymphoma involvement.

OALs usually have favorable prognosis with congenial treatment. EBRT is the preferred treatment in localized periorbital disease, and chemotherapy is used in cases with systemic involvement.