Topical Interferon or Surgical Excision for the Management of Primary Ocular Surface Squamous Neoplasia
Received 6 October 2007; received in revised form 14 December 2007; accepted 4 January 2008. published online 21 February 2008.
Objective
To describe the successful treatment and long-term outcomes of primary ocular surface squamous neoplasia (OSSN) with topical interferon alfa-2b or surgical excision.
Design
Retrospective, comparative, interventional case series.
Participants
Twenty-nine consecutive patients with OSSN never before treated.
Intervention
Patients with primary OSSN chose topical interferon alfa-2b or excision with wide surgical margins, with crossover to surgery in those interferon-treated patients whose OSSN failed to regress within 2 months after beginning therapy.
Main Outcome Measures
Successful resolution of clinical disease at 2 months after topical interferon treatment and time to recurrence after either topical interferon or surgical excision.
Results
Of 29 patients with primary OSSN, 15 elected topical interferon and 14 chose surgical excision. Two patients in the interferon group subsequently underwent surgical excision for apparent lack of response to interferon. No patient in either group developed a recurrence during the study period (disease-free follow-up: interferon group, mean, 35.6 months [95% confidence interval, 21.9–49.3]; surgery group, mean, 35.6 months [22.9–48.3]).
Conclusions
Both topical interferon alfa-2b and aggressive surgical excision appear to be effective for primary OSSN.
Available online: February 21, 2008.
1Public Health in Ophthalmology Working Group, Dean A. McGee Eye Institute, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
2University of Oklahoma College of Medicine, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
3University of Oklahoma College of Public Health, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
4Department of Ophthalmology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
5Department of Cell Biology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
6Department of Microbiology & Immunology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
Correspondence to Dr James Chodosh, 608 Stanton L. Young Boulevard, Oklahoma City, OK 73104.
Manuscript no. 2007-1314.
Supported by a Physician–Scientist Merit Award (JC) and an unrestricted grant from Research to Prevent Blindness, Inc., New York, New York, to the Department of Ophthalmology, University of Oklahoma.
The authors have no conflict of interest in the material presented in the article.
ABSTRACT