TP53 and hereditary endocrine growth disease: Some studies have demonstrated common features shared by pterygium and neoplasms—such as abnormal proliferation, p53 gene overexpression, and angiogenesis—which supports the argument that pterygium is a tumorlike growth disorder (Chen et al. 1994; Dushku and Reid 1997; Dushku et al. 2001; Kria et al. 1996; Li et al. 2001; Tan et al. 1997b; Shimmura et al. 2000; Soucy et al. 2003; Weinstein et al. 2002).