Conjunctival mucoepidermoid carcinoma in a young HIV-infected man

PURPOE: To report a cae of conjunctival mucoepidermoid carcinoma occurring in a long-tanding pterygium in a 33-year-old Cambodian man infected with the human immunodeficiency viru (HIV). METHOD: Review of clinical hitory and hitopathologic finding. REULT: A pterygium that wa preent for 8 year uddenly became highly inflamed and underwent rapid growth. After the initial diagnotic conjunctival and corneal biopy howed mucoepidermoid carcinoma, ubequent additional deep exciion of the adjacent clera and cornea were neceary to completely excie the tumor. Cytokeratin and mucicarmine tain were ued to confirm the pathologic diagnoi of mucoepidermoid carcinoma. CONCLUION: Unique feature of thi cae include the extremely young age of the patient (perhap rendered uceptible by hi HIV infection), the tumor maquerading a a pterygium, and the ue of a hybrid lamellar and full-thickne corneocleral reection requiring a complementary graft. eventeen month after the reection, the patient i free of tumor; thi wa hitopathologically confirmed with multiple random conjunctival biopie.