Squamous cell carcinoma of the external auditory meatus (canal)

A retrospective study of 35 patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the external auditory meatus treated at the Eye and Ear Hospital of the University of Pittsburgh was performed. The standard treatment was a temporal bone resection that corresponded to the extent of the lesion, followed by postoperative radiation therapy. The tumor extensions, symptoms, treatments, survival rates, and prognostic variables were reviewed. Overall, 12 of 35 patients survived. Lesions limited to the external auditory meatus with no erosion had excellent prognoses. Survival in intermediate lesions with bony erosion or middle ear involvement was related to the status of surgical margins after partial or subtotal temporal bone resections. Extensive lesions that involved the surrounding soft tissue or dura had poor prognoses. The survival value of total temporal bone resection remains unproved.