Demographic characteristics and clinicopathologic correlation of orbital tumors: a 5-year retrospective study at a referral center in Northeastern Mexico

Background: Orbital tumors are rare, representing < 1% of all neoplasms, and include a variety of benign, malignant, inflammatory, vascular, and congenital lesions.Their overlapping clinical and imaging features complicate diagnosis, highlighting the importance of regional epidemiological data for improving diagnostic accuracy.Methods: A retrospective observational study was conducted at High Specialty Medical Unit No. 25 of the Mexican Social Security Institute in Monterrey, Mexico.It included all patients diagnosed with orbital tumors based on clinical and histopathological criteria between June 2020 and June 2025.Comprehensive demographic data and confirmed diagnoses were rigorously extracted through systematic reviews of clinical records.Descriptive statistics, as well as comparative analyses, were employed to evaluate the data.The institutional ethics committee granted a waiver of informed consent, acknowledging the study's retrospective design and the utilization of anonymized data.Results: A total of 210 patients were analyzed, with 56.7% being female and a median age of 51 years.Orbital inflammatory pseudotumor was the most common clinical diagnosis (27.6%), whereas lymphoma was the most frequent histopathological finding (16.7%).Benign tumors comprised 68.6%, and malignant tumors comprised 31.4%.A significant association was found between malignancy and older age (median 60 vs.48 years; p < 0.001), with no sex differences observed.Conclusions: The distribution of orbital tumors in this population reflects global trends, characterized predominantly by benign lesions.Notably, the significant correlation between malignancy and older age underscores the necessity for heightened diagnostic vigilance in elderly patients.