Characteristics of Conjunctival Melanocytic Tumor Patients in a Tertiary Hospital: A 4-Year Study

Abstract

Introduction: Conjunctival neoplasms includes melanocytic and nonmelanocytic tumors, and most are benign. Due to their rarity in the general population, it is important to consider the demographic, clinical signs, symptoms, and histopathological features to make the correct diagnosis. This study aims to describe the demographic, clinical, and histopathology of Conjunctival Melanocytic Tumors patients in a Tertiary Hospital. Methods: A retrospective study held from the medical record of patients with diagnosis conjunctival melanocytic tumor from January 2019 - September 2023 in a Tertiary Hospital. Age, sex, laterality, clinical signs, symptoms, procedure, and histopathology result were recorded.  Results: Thirteen patients were identified (n=13). The distribution was nearly equal between genders (54% male, 46% female), with a mean age of 39 years (range: 4–69 years). All cases were unilateral. The most frequent clinical presentation was a painless lump (69%), primarily localized in the temporal region (77%). Surgical interventions included simple excision (69.2%) and wide excision (30.8%). Histopathological analysis revealed that 61.5% of lesions were malignant melanoma, while 38.5% were compound nevi. Conclusion: In this study, it was found that conjunctival melanocytic tumor was found equal in both genders, majority in adult age, mostly presenting with painless lumps on the temporal region of bulbar conjunctiva. Most patient in this study were diagnosed with melanoma maligna, because usually patient with nevi were not referred to tertiary hospital. Majority of the patient underwent excision while the others underwent wide excision.