The oncology of otology

Objectives/Hypothesis: To describe the population of patients with malignancy affecting the ear canal and temporal bone. Study Design: Retrospective review. Methods: The charts of 157 patients with temporal bone cancer were reviewed for clinical outcomes. Results: Between 1999 and 2009, 157 patients underwent temporal bone surgery for cancer involving the ear canal (n = 25), external ear with ear canal involvement (n = 26), periauricular skin (n = 40), parotid gland (n = 40), temporal bone (n = 13), and lateral skull base (n = 13). All surgeries involved one or more otologic approaches: mastoidectomy (28.0%), lateral temporal bone resection (TBR) (59.2%), subtotal TBR (2.5%), total TBR (3.2%), transtemporal approach (TTA) to the jugular foramen (8.2%), TTA to the middle fossa (5.7%), and TTA to the infratemporal fossa (3.2%). Cancers of the cartilaginous ear canal were managed with wide local excision of canal skin and cartilage in nine patients (5.7%). A combination of approaches was performed in 32 patients (20.4%). The 5‐year overall survival rate was 58.0%. Patients whose disease was limited to the ear canal had significantly better overall survival than did patients who had skull base primaries ( P = .02989), periauricular skin cancer ( P = .00138), or temporal bone tumors ( P = .02598). Patients with parotid tumors also had better overall survival than did those with periauricular skin tumors ( P = .02357). Conclusions: Otologic surgery plays an important role in managing cancers that involve the ear canal, temporal bone, or lateral skull base. The specialty of otologic oncology is emerging as a defined area of practice.