Lacrimal Sac Neoplasia

Lacrimal sac neoplasms are rare and may mimic dacryocystitis clinically. In one study of patients undergoing dacryocystorhinostomy (DCR) for chronic nasolacrimal duct obstruction, neoplasm was the cause in only 5% of cases. As the lacrimal sac is lined with a transitional epithelium, similar to that in the bladder, squamous and transitional cell carcinomas may arise in the sac, though rarely. Most lacrimal sac tumors are benign papillomatous neoplasms that arise from the epithelial lining, but a wide variety have been reported.

• Krishna Y, Coupland SE. Lacrimal sac tumors—a review. Asia Pac J Ophthalmol(Phila). 2017; 6(2):173–178.

Excerpted from BCSC 2020-2021 series: Section 4 - Ophthalmic Pathology and Intraocular Tumors. For more information and to purchase the entire series, please visit https://www.aao.org/bcsc.