Dinitrochlorobenzene Immunotherapy of Recurrent Squamous Papilloma of the Conjunctiva

Letters to the Editor

“…As we noted in the paper, although no clinical improvement was observed, our patient had exhibited brisk reactions to test doses of both DNCB and rhus oleoresin antigens and in the case of DNCB exhibited marked conjunctival hyperemia and ocular symptomotology after treatment 1 . We remain somewhat skeptical, therefore, that the addition of cimetidine to the DNCB regimen would have proven of benefit in this particular case.…”

“…We read with great interest the article discussing the immunotherapy of a recurrent conjunctival squamous papilloma by Novick and Bosniak (J Dermatol Surg Oncol 12:602‐605, 1986). Other researchers have noted the variable response to din‐itrochlorobenzene (DNCB) as possibly being related to the state of the patient's immune system at a given moment 1 . Although little has been written regarding cimetidine and immunotherapy, there have been some reports suggesting an enhancement of delayed hypersensitivity.…”

The Failure of Immunotherapy with Dinitrochlorobenzene and Rhus Extract for Recurrent Conjunctival Squamous Papillomas

“…In 1981, Petrelli et al 3 reported a second patient for whom DNCB immunotherapy was employed for treatment of a large, recurrent conjunctival squamous papilloma. Also having received combined topical and intralesional immunotherapy, the tumor in their patient regressed slowly over 15 months.…”

“…One study of 27 patients with primary lacrimal sac epithelial neoplasms demonstrated that the rate of recurrence following wide local excision of either benign papillomas or those showing focal evidence of cellular atypia, were 36 and 71%, respectively 1 . Two cases of successful immunotherapy using dinitrochloro‐benzene (DNCB) for recurrent conjunctival squamous papillomas have been previously reported 2,3 . The following report discusses our experience using DNCB immunotherapy in treating a large, recurrent conjunctival squamous papilloma, as well as the first reported attempt to employ Rhus oleoresin (poison ivy/oak) extract for topical conjunctival immunotherapy.…”

Tumors of the ocular surface: A review

“…[ 8 ] Other reported treatment modalities include laser, dinitrochlorobenzene immunotherapy, interferon alpha 2b (IFN α-2b), and topical mitomycin C (MMC) drops. [ 9 10 11 12 13 ] Recent reports show significant role of oral cimetidine in treating recalcitrant and recurrent conjunctival papillomatosis. It enhances the immune system by inhibiting certain T-cell functions.…”