A Case of Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Lacrimal Sac

Abstract

Lacrimal sac carcinoma is a rare disease, and the close similarity of its initial symptoms to those of chronic dacryocystitis makes it rather difficult to differentiate between the two conditions. Herein, we report the case of a 50-year-old man with squamous cell carcinoma of the right lacrimal sac, in whom the diagnosis was made by biopsy after it had extended into the nasal cavity via the nasolacrimal duct. The patient was referred to our ENT department with a 4-month history of a rapidly growing mass in the right neck, and reported having had a swelling around the right inner canthus for more than 6 years. He was diagnosed as having squamous cell carcinoma of the lacrimal sac with right cervical lymph node metastasis. The patient did not wish to have an extended tumor resection, which would have included orbital exenteration, and was therefore initiated on chemoradiotherapy. Both the lacrimal tumor and cervical lymphadenopathy showed significant shrinkage following this treatment. If a patient with lacrimal sac carcinoma is unwilling to undergo, or is not a suitable candidate, for surgery, chemoradiation may be an effective option, depending on the histopathological diagnosis.