Conclusion: Early-stage detection of temporal bone carcinoma improves the survival rate. When detected at an advanced stage, predicted prognosis is poor even with a combination of surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Objectives: We evaluated treatment strategies and survival rates in cases of carcinomas of the external and middle ear. Method: Retrospective review of patients treated at Ehime University Hospital during the 32 years from 1977 to 2008. Subjects were 41 patients, consisting of 21 men and 20 women with a mean age of 63.2 years. Modified Pittsburgh staging system: stage I in 11 cases (27%), stage II in 4 (10%), stage III in 6 (15%) and stage IV in 20 (49%). Histopathology: squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) in 35 cases, adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) in 3, and adenocarcinoma (AC) in 3. Thirty-eight patients were treated by surgery. Radiation was added postoperatively in 23 patients. Three patients were treated by chemoradiotherapy. Results: The survival rate of carcinomas detected at an advanced stage was poor with a disease-specific 5-year survival rate of 100% in early-stage disease (stage I and II) versus 20.8% in stage III and 27.5% in stage IV disease, irrespective of histopathology of the tumor.
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