Clinical presentation and management of lacrimal gland tumours.

This paper presents the clinical and pathological findings in 40 consecutive patients seen with primary tumours arising from the lacrimal gland. Twenty patients had a benign mixed-cell tumour. They presented in a recognisable clinical manner with a painless mass in the region of the lacrimal gland which slowly enlarged over a period of at least 1 year before consultation. Twenty patients had a carcinoma of the lacrimal gland. They had a short history and experienced pain. On clinical grounds they could not be distinguished from inflammatory lesions in the region of the lacrimal gland. The method of treating these 2 groups of patients is described and methods of dealing logically with their problems are suggested.