Ocular and Orbital Tumors in Childhood

Abstract

Pediatric tumors of the eye and orbit can be benign or malignant as well as congenital or acquired and are usually distinctively different than those seen in adults.1 Although most of these neoplasms are benign (e.g. dermoid cyst, chalazion or molluscum), their location near and within a vital organ can result in serious dermatologic and ophthalmologic sequelae. Lesions discussed include vascular lesions, retinoblastomas (the most common primary pediatric intraocular malignancy), rhabdomyosarcoma (the most common primary pediatric orbital malignancy), Langerhans cell histiocytosis, and metastatic lesions to the orbit (neuroblastoma, Ewing's sarcoma). Although cysts and ocular melanoma can occur within the pediatric population, these conditions will be covered in other contributions in this issue of Clinics in Dermatology.