title: Cancer of the external auditory canal-diagnostic and treatment.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Ear squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is a tumor with a poor prognosis, due to a late initial diagnosis because of a concealment by primarily benign symptoms and due to the unfavorable localization including the infiltration of important structures such as the middle ear, mandibular joint or dura.
  
  
  METHODS
  We retrospectively examined 10 patients, medium age: 63.8 ± 9.3 years between 2002 and 2008 with a histological confirmed SCC of the external auditory canal. The median follow-up period was 20.5 months (range 7-60 months).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The treatment involving surgery, radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy yielded a survival rate of 38.3 ± 11.3 months for T1 and a survival rate of 17.0 ± 3.0 months for T2-T4 tumors. 3/10 patients at T1 stage are under follow-up, all 7/10 (70%) patients at T2 and T4 stage did not survive 5 years.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The prognosis for ear SCC primarily depends on early clinical and histopathological diagnostics and requires a sufficient and standardized staging to determine the therapy involving surgery and radiochemotherapy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Charité, University of Berlin, Charité Campus Mitte Charitéplatz 1, 10117 Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Franca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Fleiner
authors.forename: Masen
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jumah
authors.forename: Onder
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Göktas
keywords: Carcinoma of the external auditory canal; Prognosis; Radiation treatment; Squamous cell carcinoma; Surgery