Malignancies of the ear

Cancer of the ear is an uncommon occurrence and rarely diagnosed early it its development. Routine biopsy of all granulomatous and neoplastic diseases of the ear is essential to early diagnosis. Polytomography is an aid in documenting the extent of the disease in bone. The surgical anatomy of the region of the ear imposes special disadvantages upon any type of surgical technique employed and supervoltage irradiation given. Temporal bone resection and its modifications, combined with irradiation, enhance the cure rate in the advanced cases and add significantly to the local control of this disease. A review of 273 cases is presented.