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Topical Interferon alpha 2bfor the treatment of basal cell carcinoma of the eyelids

Background:Basal cell carcinoma is the most common type of neoplasia of the periocular region accounting for 90% of palpebral tumors. Its incidence has increased significantly over the past years.Despite its slow progression, which rarely metastasizes, its extension and locationhamper treatment of the periocular region.
There is a numberof available treatments which must take into account the patient´s age and medical history, aesthetic results, anatomical position, tumor size and margins, besides histological patterns, number of lesions and whether it is a primary or recurrent tumor.Surgical treatment is often the chosen protocol for the periocular region. However, new types of therapies have emerged.
Objective: To report the progression of basal cell carcinoma of the eyelids and the benefits of the use of topical Interferon alpha 2b eyedrops as a non-surgical treatment.
Case report: A 21-year-old female patient with a history of Xeroderma Pigmentosum with palpebral lesion to the left in which the anatomopathological examination was consistent with basal cell carcinoma and a 67-year-old female patient with a lesion covering upper right eyelid.Cases were treated with 1 million IU/ml of topical IFN-alpha2b four times a day for three and six months.
Conclusions:The use of IFN-alpha2b for the treatment of basal cell carcinoma offers satisfactory results.It has proven to be promising, rapid, safe,effective with few complications,besides minimizing or rendering a major surgery unnecessary.