An epidemiological survey of lacrimal fossa lesions in Japan: number of patients and their sex ratio by pathological diagnosis

To report the results of a survey conducted on lacrimal fossa lesions in Japan. The subjects were patients with lacrimal fossa lesions pathologically diagnosed between January 1995 and December 1997. We sent survey questionnaires to 1201 hospitals with training facilities accredited by the Japanese Ophthalmological Society and determined the number of patients and their sex ratio by pathological diagnosis. Based on returned questionnaires, 311 cases were enrolled in the survey. Among tumors with high frequency, there were 86 cases of pleomorphic adenoma and 19 cases of adenoid cystic carcinoma in the category of epithelial tumor; 55 cases of malignant lymphoma and 32 cases of reactive lymphoid hyperplasia in the category of nonepithelial tumor; and 50 cases of inflammation and 22 cases of cystic lesion in the category of nonneoplastic lesion. The patient ages ranged from 3 months to 89 years, with the median age 52 years and 2 months. The sex ratio by pathological diagnosis revealed that women had a higher rate than men of pleomorphic adenoma, whereas men had a higher rate than women of malignant epithelial tumor.