Ear Cancer Treatment in Dallas, Frisco, and Fort Worth
Although primary malignancies of the ear are rare, cancers can arise from the skin of the ear or can involve the ear by spreading
from nearby salivary glands, lymph nodes, nerves, and other structures.
The primary treatment for cancers of the ear is a surgery called lateral temporal bone resection. This involves removal of the tumor and a margin of normal tissue to minimize risk of cancer recurrence. The unique anatomy of the ear makes this challenging. In contrast to skin cancer removal on the body, where the margin is simply a perimeter of extra skin, ear cancer removal involves removal of sensitive structures of the ear as margins. This can have important implications for ear function after surgery.
The lateral temporal bone resection involves removal of the ear canal, eardrum, malleus, and incus. This is done by a neurotologist. Depending on the extent of the cancer, additional parts of the ear can be removed. Often the auricle (external ear) will need to be removed. Occasionally the facial nerve may need to be removed as well.
A head and neck surgeon will also remove the parotid gland and the lymph nodes of the neck. They will perform advanced reconstructions to the surgical defect including local flaps, rotational flaps, and microvascular free flaps.
The cancer and lymph nodes that are removed during surgery will
be studied to further determine the extent of treatment necessary. This may include chemotherapy and radiation, or it may reassure us that surgery alone should provide adequate treatment.
With increasing extent of resection, there are increased difficulties such as hearing loss, facial paralysis, and cosmetic deformity. With the standard temporal bone resection, conductive hearing loss is expected. After recovering from cancer treatment, there are options to improve your hearing. A hearing aid for the normal ear is the simplest option. Because the inner ear is usually unaffected by cancer or temporal bone resection, bone conduction implants may be options as well.
In summary, cancers of the ear are quite rare. Treatment includes surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy administered by a team of specialists. Hearing loss is the most common side effect of treatment. There are a variety of options available to rehabilitate the complications of ear cancers and treatments. Call our office at 469-803-5555 to schedule a consultation.