title: [Clinical characteristics of malignant tumours originating in the external ear].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Skin tumours that originate in the external ear are common in individuals with type 1 skin and phenotype 1 and 2. The skin cancer is associated with chronic or intermittent, but intense sunlight. The most common malignant tumour is basal cell carcinoma, followed by squamous cell carcinoma and melanoma. The diagnosis of squamous cell skin cancer in head and neck area is usually made in the advanced stages and has a poor prognosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional, retrospective analysis was performed on the database of patients with skin cancer of the external ear treated between 2011 and 2014. Histology type, stage, rate of clinical and occult metastases, and rate of loco-regional recurrence were evaluated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 42 patients included there were, 25 squamous cell carcinomas, 11 basal cell carcinomas, and 6 invasive melanomas. The rate of lymph node metastases in patients with squamous cell carcinoma was 32%, mostly in the parotid and peri-parotid region, 7% of them with capsular rupture, 2/17 were staged as cN0, and 11.7% had occult metastases. All patients with nodal metastasis were classified as T2 with ulceration. None of the patients with basal cell carcinoma had lymph node metastases. All melanomas were superficial extension type with mean level of Breslow of 3 mm. All underwent lymphatic mapping and sentinel node biopsy, with only one having metastases in the sentinel node.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The most frequent tumour in the external ear in this series was squamous cell carcinoma. The possibility of lymph node metastases is associated with tumour size (T). Node dissection should be systematic in patients with T2 or greater.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Tumores de Cabeza, Cuello y Piel, Hospital de Oncología, Centro Médico Nacional Siglo xxi. Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, México, D.F., México. Electronic address: gal61@prodigy.net.mx.
authors.forename: José Francisco
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Gallegos-Hernández
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Tumores de Cabeza, Cuello y Piel, Hospital de Oncología, Centro Médico Nacional Siglo xxi. Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, México, D.F., México.
authors.forename: Miguel Ángel
authors.initials: MÁ
authors.lastname: Martínez-Méndez
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Tumores de Cabeza, Cuello y Piel, Hospital de Oncología, Centro Médico Nacional Siglo xxi. Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, México, D.F., México.
authors.forename: José Alberto
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Ábrego-Vázquez
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Tumores de Cabeza, Cuello y Piel, Hospital de Oncología, Centro Médico Nacional Siglo xxi. Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, México, D.F., México.
authors.forename: Martín
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hernández-Sanjuan
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Tumores de Cabeza, Cuello y Piel, Hospital de Oncología, Centro Médico Nacional Siglo xxi. Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, México, D.F., México.
authors.forename: Gerardo Gabriel
authors.initials: GG
authors.lastname: Minauro-Muñoz
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Tumores de Cabeza, Cuello y Piel, Hospital de Oncología, Centro Médico Nacional Siglo xxi. Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, México, D.F., México.
authors.forename: Alma Lilia
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Ortiz-Maldonado
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002280:Basal Cell Carcinoma / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000601:surgery; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000556:secondary / Q000601:surgery; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D016208:Databases, Factual; D004428:Ear Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000601:surgery; D004431:Ear, External / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008197:Lymph Node Excision; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D008545:Melanoma / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000556:secondary / Q000601:surgery; D008800:Mexico / Q000453:epidemiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D021701:Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Basal cell carcinoma; Carcinoma basocelular; Carcinoma epidermoide; Cáncer de piel no melanoma; External ear; Non-melanoma skin cancer; Oreja; Squamous cell carcinoma