How are conjunctival tumors treated?
The primary treatment for these tumors is surgery. It is important for the doctor to keep checking for cancer cells left behind. The surgery ends when all cancer cells have been removed. This is called perioperative microscopic examination of surgical margins. If the tumor is large, cryotherapy (freezing of the tumor) may be needed. Researchers are also studying the use of chemotherapy eye drops for people who have conjunctival melanoma (and have tumors in several places on the eye). Conjunctival lymphomas may be treated with radiation alone, as long as there is no lymphoma elsewhere. Lymphomas that occur inside the eye, also called intraocular lymphoma, need to be treated with chemotherapy. Surgery usually is not used to treat lymphoma of the eye.
