Squamous cell carcinoma of the external auditory canal

Squamous cell carcinoma of the external auditory canal is an unusual head and neck malignancy. It may occur in an ear in which there had previously been chronic inflammation, either in the external canal or middle ear. However, in most cases the etiology of the cancer is unclear. Treatment modalities have ranged from full therapy irradiation to formal temporal bone resection. Morbidity and mortality with these treatment plans alone have not been satisfactory. The purpose of this paper is to describe diagnostic and therapeutic approaches to squamous cell carcinoma of the external auditory canal used in the Department of Otolaryngology and Communicative Disorders of the Cleveland Clinic Foundation for the last 10 years.