Mucoepidermoid carcinoma of the eyelid skin.

PURPOSE: Mucoepidermoid carcinoma involving the eye or its adnexa generally arises from the conjunctiva. We describe a nodular lesion of the lower eyelid skin with histologic features consistent with low-grade mucoepidermoid carcinoma. METHOD: Case report. RESULTS: By histology, the tumor demonstrated areas of squamous cell carcinoma and scattered islands of mucin-secreting cells. Histochemistry showed hyaluronidase-resistant mucin and intense immunoreactivity with an antibody against carcinoembryonic antigen suggesting that the tumor originated from acrosyringeal structures. CONCLUSIONS: To our knowledge, this is the first report of a mucoepidermoid carcinoma arising from sweat glands in the eyelid skin.