Prognosis of eyelid sebaceous gland carcinoma based on the tumor (T) category of the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) classification

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical features and prognosis of eyelid sebaceous gland carcinoma (SGC) based on the T category of the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) classification (7th edition). This is a retrospective interventional case series study. Based on the T category of the AJCC classification, 191 patients with eyelid sebaceous gland carcinoma were classified as T1 (n = 1, 1 %), T2 (n = 111, 58 %), T3 (n = 76, 40 %), and T4 (n = 3, 2 %). Based on multivariate analysis, the factors predictive of regional lymph node metastasis included duration of symptoms >6 months (p = 0.04) and orbital tumor extension (p < 0.001). The factors predictive of systemic metastasis included orbital tumor extension (p < 0.001) and perivascular invasion (p = 0.007). The factor predictive of death due to systemic metastasis included orbital tumor extension (p < 0.001). Kaplan–Meier estimates of regional lymph node metastasis at 5 and 10 years, respectively, were 0 and 0 % for T1, 11 and 11 % for T2, 44 and 59 % for T3, and 100 and 100 % for T4 (p < 0.001). Kaplan–Meier estimates of systemic metastasis at 5 and 10 years, respectively, were 0 and 0 % for T1, 6 and 6 % for T2, 35 and 35 % for T3, and 100 and 100 % for T4 (p < 0.001). Kaplan–Meier estimates of death due to metastasis at 5 and 10 years, respectively, were 0 and 0 % for T1, 3 and 3 % for T2, 30 and 50 % for T3, and 100 and 100 % for T4 (p < 0.001). Primary tumor (T) category of the AJCC classification predicts the prognosis of patients with eyelid SGC. The risk of systemic metastasis and death increases with increasing tumor category.