Eye-Preserving Surgery Followed by Adjuvant Radiotherapy for Lacrimal Gland Carcinoma: Outcomes in 37 Patients

PURPOSE: To describe the clinical outcomes of eye-preserving surgery followed by adjuvant radiotherapy in patients with lacrimal gland carcinoma. METHODS: Thirty-seven patients with lacrimal gland carcinoma who underwent eye-preserving surgery were studied. RESULTS: At last follow up, 32 patients were alive without disease, 3 patients were alive with disease with distant metastasis, 1 patient had died of disease, and 1 patient had died of other cause. The 5-year recurrence-free survival rate was worse in patients without than in patients with adjuvant radiotherapy (p = 0.001) and worse in patients with T3-T4 tumors than in patients with T1-T2 tumors (p = 0.027). At last follow up, 25 patients (68%) had visual acuity of 20/40 or better. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with lacrimal gland carcinoma, eye-preserving surgery and adjuvant radiotherapy is associated with reasonable local control rates and visual and ocular function. Postoperative adjuvant radiotherapy seems to enhance local control rates.