Long-term Follow-up of Conjunctival and Corneal Intraepithelial Neoplasia Treated with Topical Interferon Alfa-2b

Objective To evaluate the long-term recurrence rate (>1 year) of conjunctival and corneal intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) treated with topical interferon alfa-2b. Design Retrospective, noncomparative, interventional case series. Participants Twenty-eight eyes of 26 patients from 2 institutions, treated between April 1997 and June 2005, with CIN lesions utilized topical interferon alfa-2b drops 4 times daily until clinical resolution was achieved. Methods Patients' charts and clinical photographs were reviewed, and data were analyzed. Main Outcome Measures All eyes were monitored for the possibility of recurrence with a minimum of 1-year follow-up from the time of documented clinical resolution. Results Complete clinical resolution of the CIN lesions was achieved in 27 of the 28 eyes treated (96.4%). One of the 28 eyes treated (3.6%) had only a partial response to treatment. For the 27 eyes with complete response, resolution occurred after a median of 2.0 months (range, 10 days–15 months). Eyes were treated for a median of 3.2 months (range, 1–15). Median follow-up after clinical resolution (tumor-free period) was 42.4 months (range, 14–89). One eye of the 27 analyzed (3.7%) experienced a recurrence. Side effects of treatment were limited to mild conjunctival hyperemia and follicular conjunctivitis in 3 patients (12%). In all cases, there was total resolution of the side effects within 1 month after cessation of the medication. Conclusions In this group of patients with CIN lesions observed for >1 year, topical interferon alfa-2b was effective in treating lesions with minimal self-limited side effects.