Sebaceous Adenocarcinoma of the Meibomian Gland: Presentation of a Case and Review of the Literature

THE clinical resemblance of the rare carcinoma of the meibomian gland to the relatively frequent chalazion should be kept in mind by anyone performing eyelid surgery. Straatsma,¹ in a critical review of the world literature, reported 97 proven case histories of carcinoma of the meibomian gland. Subramanian et al² reviewed the literature and noted 140 case reports. Boniuk and Zimmerman have more recently written on this subject pointing out that the presence of this tumor may be more common than previously suspected.³ The following case report represents another example.

Report of a Case  A 38-year-old South Vietnamese man was first seen at the 91st Evacuation Hospital in December 1967, complaining of a large, cosmetically disfiguring lesion on the lateral border of the left upper eyelid. This growth had been present for approximately 1½ years. Examination revealed a 1 × 1.5-cm multinodular, hard, nontender lesion elevating the skin