Radiotherapy in the treatment of middle ear and mastoid carcinoma

Abstract

The treatment of temporal bone carcinoma is a widely discussed topic with marked variation in published results. Most conclude that a combination of radical surgery and radiotherapy is the optimum treatment. The present study reviews the results of radiotherapy used as the main primary treatment for this condition. Five-year survival in 56 patients was 32% for radical and palliative therapy, with an excellent response in 'early' cases. It is concluded that improvement in survival could be attained by defining those groups which would benefit from a combination of treatment methods.

Middle ear cancer: A population‐based study

“…Some authors have advocated treating middle ear carcinoma with RT alone, citing overall 5‐year survival as high as 41% 23, 24. In this series, however, those receiving RT alone had poorer survival.…”

The oncology of otology

“…Adjuvant therapy is necessary in cases of advanced stages of disease. Temporal bone tumors that are T2 or higher should be treated with postoperative radiotherapy 7, 16, 17. The role of chemotherapy in head and neck tumors is nascent and emerging 18, 19…”

Squamous cell carcinoma of the mastoid – a report of two cases

“…In a review of the outcome of radiotherapy as the primary treatment for this condition, the 5-year survival in 56 patients was 32% for radical and palliative therapy, with an excellent response in early cases 11 . The complications of radiotherapy include severe otalgia, otorrhea and sequestration of bone due to osteo-radionecrosis of the temporal bone.…”

“…Most authorities agree that a combination of surgery and radiotherapy as opposed to single modality treatment is likely to yield the best results [9][10][11] . However in cases of advanced presentation as seen in these patients, the goal of treatment is palliation.…”