Brief Reports
Eyelid tumors: accuracy of clinical diagnosis

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0002-9394(99)00302-5Get rights and content

Abstract

PURPOSE: To determine the accuracy, specificity, and sensitivity of the clinical diagnosis of malignant tumor of the eyelid.

METHOD: Analysis of consecutively submitted biopsy specimens of the eyelid for 1 year to a regional ophthalmic pathology laboratory.

RESULTS: Agreement was noted between clinical and histopathologic diagnoses on 72 (84%) of 86 eyelid biopsy specimens received over 12 months. Ten (11.6%) clinical diagnoses of suspected malignant eyelid tumor showed benign skin conditions, and four (4.6%) clinical diagnoses of presumed benign conditions proved to be malignant.

CONCLUSIONS: The clinical assessment of eyelid malignancy by ophthalmologists is reasonably good when evaluated in terms of sensitivity (87.5%) and specificity (81.5%) of diagnosis. Lesions giving rise to the false-negative diagnosis of malignancy tend to be nodules with unremarkable surface features.

References (3)

There are more references available in the full text version of this article.

Cited by (42)

  • Statistical evaluation and positive predictive value of key features of periorbital basal cell carcinoma

    2023, Canadian Journal of Ophthalmology
    Citation Excerpt :

    Assessing the specific features of lesions may improve upon diagnostic accuracy. For instance, a previous investigation based on clinical suspicion alone, Margo12 found 11.6% clinically suspected malignant eyelid tumors to be benign on biopsy. Similarly, Kersten et al8 documented that several lesions that were suspected to be malignant were revealed to be benign on histopathologic assessment.

  • Ocular Tumors

    2019, Abeloff’s Clinical Oncology
  • Eye, Orbit, and Adnexal Structures

    2013, Abeloff's Clinical Oncology: Fifth Edition
  • A reappraisal of eyelid eccrine and apocrine hidrocystomas: Microanatomic and immunohistochemical studies of 40 lesions

    2011, American Journal of Ophthalmology
    Citation Excerpt :

    Among the benign lesions (which involved the upper and lower eyelids almost equally), 73 (10.5%) were hidrocystomas (whether eccrine or apocrine was not specified). In about 10% of cases clinical confusion arose, causing misdiagnoses of basal cell carcinomas as hidrocystomas or vice versa, a finding confirmed in a different study.42 In a fourth series43 of 2529 eyelid excisions performed between 1993 and 2002, 91.5% of lesions were histopathologically benign; eccrine and apocrine hidrocystomas were again not distinguished, but together constituted 8% of benign conditions and 7.2% of combined benign and malignant conditions.

  • Examination Techniques

    2007, Clinical Ophthalmic Oncology
  • Eyelid Adnexal Tumors

    2007, Clinical Ophthalmic Oncology
View all citing articles on Scopus
View full text