The Effect of Direct Cell Injury Inflicted by Cryotherapy on Eyelid Sebaceous Gland Carcinoma Cells: An Ex-vivo Experimental Study

Purpose: To evaluate the effect of direct cell injury of cryotherapy on eyelid sebaceous gland carcinoma cells by an ex vivo cryotherapy experiment.

Methods: It was a prospective interventional case series. Six patients with biopsy-proven nodular sebaceous gland carcinoma were included. After excision of the mass, a thin slice of the mass resembling the thickness of the conjunctiva was shaved off and was oriented over the broad end of a tissue forceps. Cryotherapy was applied to both its anterior and posterior aspects by the triple freeze-thaw technique. The mass was then labeled and sent separately for histopathological evaluation by fixation and staining.

Results: A total of six patients with a mean age of 58.2 ± 15.5 years were included. There were four females and two males. The mean duration of the lesion was 21.6 ± 17.51 months. All patients had involvement of the upper eyelid. The patients were clinically staged as T2b (n=2), T1a (n=2), T2c (n=1), and T3a (n=1) respectively. There was no regional lymphadenopathy or metastasis in any of the cases. The experimental cryo-tissue containing the cryo-treated lesion revealed the presence of viable tumor cells (>50%) in all six specimens.

Conclusion: The direct cell injury caused by cryotherapy may not be sufficient to kill all the residual sebaceous gland carcinoma cells on the tumor bed.