Purpose: To investigate the clinicopathological features and prognostic factors for eyelid sebaceous gland carcinoma (SGC) in an ethnic Chinese population and to validate the performance of the T category of the 8th edition AJCC staging systems, with the aim of providing information for refinements.
Methods: Sixty-three patients with pathological diagnosis of SGC were enroled retrospectively. The clinicopathological features, treatments, and outcomes were collected. Prognostic factors associated with the outcome of local recurrence, regional lymph node metastasis, and tumour-related death were analysed. The performance analysis was performed by comparing the predictive value for survival and the monotonicity of gradients between the 7th and 8th staging systems.
Results: The distribution of T1:T2:T3:T4 tumours according to the 7th and 8th edition was 6:40:16:1 and 23:26:5:9, respectively. Positive surgical margin was a poor prognostic factor. Local recurrence was associated with more aggressive histopathological features and surrounding structure invasions. Regional lymph node metastasis was associated with larger tumours. The T category of 8th edition showed better predictability for local recurrence and regional lymph node metastasis, while the T category of 7th edition had better monotonicity of gradients. Tumours classified as T2c or worse had higher risk of regional lymph node metastasis, while tumours T3b or worse in the 8th edition had more tumour-related death.
Conclusions: Patients with higher T category are at risk of regional lymph node metastasis and tumour-related death. Further refinement of the T category of AJCC staging system can focus on the predictability for local recurrence and the monotonicity of gradients.