Abstract
External auditory canal (EAC) malignancies are rare and often difficult to treat. The objective of this study is to evaluate the outcome of tumors of the EAC treated with temporal bone resection (TBR). A retrospective chart review between 2000 and 2011 was performed on all patients who had TBR for EAC tumors. Outcomes were analyzed by means of survival analysis with respect to the Pittsburgh staging system, the status of frozen and final surgical margins, and adjuvant XRT. Of the patients studied, pathology included squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), basal cell carcinoma (BCC), adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC), chondrosarcoma, chondroblastoma, and rhabdomyosarcoma. The series 5-year overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) were analyzed. For SCC, DFS for Pittsburgh stages 1 and 2 combined was compared with combined Pittsburgh stages 3 and 4. The 5-year DFS for those with SCC and negative final surgical margins was compared with those with SCC and positive final margins .The outcome of treatment for EAC carcinoma, namely recurrence or survival, was correlated with positive final surgical margins and positive frozen sections margins. Recurrence was correlated with Pittsburgh stage for SCC of the EAC, which includes patients with less than 5-year follow-up. The effect of radiotherapy on the treatment outcome was analyzed for patients with advanced disease (stage III and IV or positive margins)[KEG1].