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Topical agents promising for the treatment of periocular lesions
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 Robert C. Kersten |
ORLANDO, Fla. — There are topical treatments that show promise for the treatment of periocular skin cancers and nonmalignant lesions, a speaker said here.
Properties of an effective agent must spare the adjacent normal tissue, eliminate the neoplasm that it contacts, and contact all neoplastic tissue, both deep and wide, Robert C. Kersten, MD, told colleagues at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology.
"We could probably throw battery acid on it and kill the cancer, but we would kill the normal tissue as well," he said.
Imiquimod as a 5% cream is one of the promising agents and can be used for lentigo maligna and extensive superficial or in situ squamous cell carcinoma, Dr. Kersten said.
Another agent, timolol, as a 0.5% solution spread over infantile hemangioma, has been shown to have dramatic effect in reducing lesions, Dr. Kersten said. Even though infantile hemangioma normally resolves without treatment, when eye tissue is involved, the ophthalmologist may choose to reduce the lesion to prevent interference with vision, he said.
- Disclosure: Dr. Kersten has no financial interests to disclose.