[Squamous cell carcinomas of the external auditory canal, treatment of lymph node areas: A multicenter study]

Squamous cell carcinomas of the external auditory canal are rare, with limited data available in the literature on patient survival in Europe. The low incidence of this condition complicates the development of a standard surgical management procedure, particularly given the lack of consensus regarding the value of neck dissection. The aim of this study was to evaluate the benefit of parotidectomy and neck dissection combined with tumor resection, and to assess the survival outcomes of patients treated for squamous cell carcinoma of the external auditory canal.

Data on patients surgically treated for this condition were collected from five university hospitals between 2010 and 2022.

Twenty-seven patients were included. Across all stages, the 5-year overall survival rate was 35.4%. Thirteen cN0 patients (48.1%) underwent parotidectomy and neck dissection, with metastatic lymphadenopathy found in one patient. Two patients (7.4%), preoperatively stage III and IV, were found to be pN+ on pathological examination of the parotidectomy and neck dissection, involving cervical areas II, III, and the parotid. No metastatic lymphadenopathy was found in the parotidectomy and neck dissection of stage I-II patients.

Parotidectomy and neck dissection did not identify any metastatic lymph nodes in patients with early-stage disease (I-II). These results provide additional data to the assessment of lymph node dissection as a potential strategy in early-stage patients (I-II). This study also suggests reconsidering the use of prophylactic radiotherapy to the cervical areas for stage I-II patients after complete surgical resection.