The Clinical Review of Epithelial Tumors in the Lacrimal Gland

ABSTRACT

We retrospectively reviewed clinical and radiologic findings of 19 patients who had been diagnosed as epithelial tumors of the lacrimal gland histopathologically after biopsy and surgery at Shinchon Severance Hospital from April, 1991 to July, 1998 and evaluated their correlation to the pathologic diagnosis, treatment and prognosis. There were 7 men and 12 women with the mean age of 41.0+/-13.3 years. Histopathologically, there were 7 cases of adenoid cystic carcinoma, 1 case of adenocarcinoma, 1 case of malignant mixed tumor, 9 cases of pleomorphic adenoma, and 1 case of benign oncocytoma. In comparison with benign epithelial tumor of the lacrimal gland, the characteristic clinical findings of malignant epithelial tumor of the lacrimal gland were pain, limitation of motion, and diplopia[44.4%]. The mean duration of the symptoms of malignant epithelial tumor was shorter[10.3+/-6.6 months] than that of benign epithelial tumor[19.5+/-14.4 months]. In radiologic CT and MRI findings, there were characteristic bony destructions in malignant epithelial tumors of the lacrimal gland[55.6%] compared with benign tumors and poorly marginated outline of the tumor was noted in malignant tumors[44.4%] but not in benign tumors. Therefore, clinical and radiologic findings of epithelial tumors of the lacrimal gland were well correlated with the pathologic diagnosis and would attribute to early diagnosis of malignant tumors.