Lower eyelid basal cell carcinoma

Lower eyelid deformity

This is a middle-aged female who presents with a left lower eyelid neoplasm. This has bled occasionally. She reports that she has seen her eye doctor for years and they did not think it was of concern. She wanted to get another opinion.

She was taken to the operating room for an excisional biopsy (to remove the ulcer). The pathology showed this to be an infiltrative basal cell carcinoma. She returned to the operating room for full excision with a Tenzel flap to reconstruct the lower lateral eyelid (75% of the lower eyelid was cancer, including the lateral canthus). 

The important part of this case is that any blemish in your eyelid needs immediate attention from a doctor. The smaller the cancer, the easier it is to remove. The smaller the defect, the easier it is to reconstruct.

Second opinions are good. If you disagree with your doctor’s opinion, get another opinion. There is no harm in another opinion.

This patient has normal vision and a normal lower eyelid (with some scars) without a dry eye. This patient now sees Dermatology on a yearly basis for a full body skin check. Patients who have had a skin caner should be checked for additional skin cancers at least once per year. The sooner a cancer is found, the easier it is to remove.