Usefulness of Topical Interferon Alpha-2b Eye Drop as an Adjunctive Therapy Following Surgical Resection in Ocular Surface Squamous Neoplasia

AIM: To report the clinical course of patients with ocular surface squamous neoplasia treated with topical interferon α-2b (IFNα-2b) after local excision of the tumor. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This study enrolled four consecutive Japanese patients comprising one eye with conjunctival carcinoma in situ, and three eyes with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) diagnosed histopathologically. All of them initially visited Hokkaido University Hospital in 2016. After resecting the tumor tissues, topical IFNα-2b eye drops were given to the eye four times a day. This study retrospectively analyzed the ophthalmological and imaging findings before and after the surgery, based on the patients' medical records. RESULTS: The mean follow-up duration was 37.8 months. All cases were males, and the mean age was 62.3 years. The tumor was located in the bulbar conjunctiva in three cases. Local pedunculated rotation flap, and free conjunctival flap were performed in one and two patients, respectively. In one case with SCC, the tumor involved the lower palpebral conjunctiva, already invading into the orbit at the first visit. The patient underwent extended resection of the lower lid, and reconstruction of the posterior lobe of the eyelid with Hughes flap. Cataract surgery was successfully conducted 18 months after tumor resection. All patients remain well without local recurrence or distant metastasis. CONCLUSION: Topical IFNα-2b treatment contributed to suppression of tumor recurrence and improvement of quality of vision in patients after local resection of ocular surface squamous neoplasia.