Adenocarcinoma of the Meibomian Gland
Disease Description and Clinical Picture
Adenocarcinoma of the Meibomian gland is a malignant, locally invasive tumor originating from the sebocytes of the Meibomian gland. The tumor develops on the edge of the eyelid and is most often white to light pink in color, less frequently darker pigmented, and may have smooth edges or a cauliflower-like appearance. Morphologically, it cannot be distinguished from a benign adenoma. These tumors tend to progress and, in rare cases, can cause metastatic disease. Due to their local invasiveness, they can cause massive destruction of the eyelid structure. They very often cause local irritation, and the dog can injure them by scratching. This can lead to secondary bacterial infection. Depending on the location of the tumor on the eyelid, corneal irritation and conjunctival irritation can occur, resulting in keratitis, corneal ulcers, and conjunctivitis. These tumors can infiltrate the orbit, and in that case, removal of the eye and orbital tissue is indicated.
 
Adenocarcinoma of the Meibomian gland occurs in older dogs, while in cats it rarely appears and is far more aggressive in nature.
 
Therapy
Surgical excision combined with cryotherapy gives excellent results in almost all patients. The diagnosis is established by histopathological examination of the tumor after excision.
 
Please contact our specialty veterinary ophthalmology hospital Animal Eye Consultants
of Iowa (animaleyeiowa@gmail.com) in USA or Oculus Veterinary Specialty Hospital
(oculusklinika@gmail.com) in Serbia, Europe to schedule an appointment so your pet
can be seen.