Malignant neoplasms of external and middle ear

Background: Neoplasms of external and middle ear are rare, which cause several problems in diagnosis and therapy. The purpose of the study was to analyze retrospectively patients with malignant neoplasms of the ear.

Methods: The study was carried out on 53 patients treated for malignant ear neoplasms in single institution during 25 years (1978-2002).

Results: The most frequent neoplasm was squamous cell carcinoma--36 cases (67.9%), then basal cell carcinoma--9 cases (16.9%). Neoplasm primarily involved auricle in 26 patients (49.1%), external auditory canal in 15 patients (28.3%) and middle ear in 12 patients (22.6%). They were classified according to Stell and McCormick (1985) as follows: stage I--29 tumours (54.7%), stage T2--15 tumours (28.3%), stage T3--9 tumours (17%). Facial nerve paresis occurred in 15 patients (28.3%). The most often treatment modality was surgery--32 persons (60.4%), then surgery followed by radiotherapy--17 persons (32.1%). The characteristics of neoplasms related to the site of location were described. The difficulties in precise histopathologic diagnosis and extent of disease were pointed out. Results: Neoplasms of external and middle ear constitute a group of various histopathological and clinical tumours, which differ in diagnostic difficulties, treatment and prognosis. A diagnosis was often made in advanced stages of neoplasms, especially for middle ear tumours, that diminished a possibility of effective treatment.