title: Primary carcinoma involving the petrous temporal bone.
abstract: Between 1975 and 1985, 29 patients with the diagnosis of carcinoma of the petrous temporal bone were seen at the Princess Margaret Hospital. Twenty-seven carcinomas were graded: 13 were well-differentiated; the remaining 14 were either moderately or poorly differentiated tumors. Fifteen patients were managed with a combination of surgery and radiotherapy, 13 were treated with radiotherapy only, and one patient was treated by surgery alone. Median follow-up time was 6.1 years, and the 5-year actuarial local control and cause-specific survival rates for the entire group were 40% and 50%, respectively. Age greater than 60 years, poor grade of tumor, and involvement of the facial nerve were three significant variables associated with poor outcome. A superior 5-year actuarial local control was achieved with surgery plus postoperative radiotherapy (54%) compared to other treatment approaches. Based on the results from this review, we would continue to recommend a combined modality approach of surgery followed by postoperative radiotherapy in the management of this rare, but life-threatening disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, Princess Margaret Hospital/Ontario Cancer Institute, Toronto, Canada.
authors.forename: F F
authors.initials: FF
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: T J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Keane
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Davidson
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010579:Petrous Bone; D011379:Prognosis; D012888:Skull Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D015996:Survival Rate