Short-term mitomycin C followed by long-term interferon α2β for conjunctiva-cornea intraepithelial neoplasia

Purpose: To report a case of extensive conjunctiva-comea intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) treated topically with mitomycin C (MMC) and interferon (INF)-α2β without surgical resection. Methods: Case report. Results: An 82-year-old woman showed an extensive gelatinous red mass in the bulbar conjunctiva with invasion into the caruncle, inferior fomix, and tarsal conjunctiva and extending for 270° of the comeal surface. A diagnosis of CIN was made by surgical biopsy. Surgical excision with safety margins carried the risk of limbal stem cell depletion. A conservative treatment strategy was used with 2 cycles of topical MMC (0.02%), followed by INF-α2β eye drops at a dose of 1 million lU/mL, 4 times a day until tumor disappearance. Total resolution was noted after 75 days of treatment with INF, with no clinical evidence of limbal stem cell deficiency. After 1 year of monitoring, no signs of CIN recurrences were observed. Conclusion: MMC (0.02%), followed by INF-α2β (1 million lU/mL) 4 times a day, is an effective treatment against highly extensive CIN, in cases where surgical resection with safety margins is unfeasible.