Primary Tumors of the External and Middle Ear: I. Introduction and Clinicopathologic Study of Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Squamous cell carcinoma (41 cases) represented 45% of all neoplasms of the ear that were treated in the study period from 1964 to 1975. The auricle was the primary site in 17 cases, and the external auditory canal was the primary site in the remaining 24 cases. Although the overall histologic appearance and differentiation were similar in both sites, there were important age, sex, and prognostic differences. Tumor-related deaths occurred in only 6% (1/17) of patients with auricular neoplasms, in contrast with 52% (11/21) of those with carcinomas of the external auditory canal. Actinic damage of the epidermis was uniformly associated with squamous cell carcinomas of the auricle, but no such relationship existed for the lesions of the auditory canal.