Symptoms and treatment of external ear malignant tumors

Malignant tumors appear in people and are most likely to turn into cancer. Therefore, when people find that they have a malignant tumor, they should seek treatment as soon as possible. So, what are the symptoms and treatments of external ear malignant tumors?

1. Squamous cell carcinoma

It is the most common malignant tumor of the external ear. The early symptoms of squamous cell carcinoma of the auricle are dandruff-like maculopapules with itchy sensation. Scratching can easily cause bleeding, which gradually develops into nodules, followed by erosion, ulceration, or formation of cauliflower-like tumors on the surface. There is no pain in the early stage, but the pain becomes more obvious when it invades the perichondrium in the late stage. Auricular squamous cell carcinoma develops slowly and metastasizes late. The most common site of metastasis is the parotid lymph nodes, followed by the jugular digastric lymph nodes and the posterior superior cervical lymph nodes. Squamous cell carcinoma of the external auditory canal often grows in an invasive manner, invading the underlying bone tissue and possibly affecting the facial nerve.

Treatment: Local extended resection. Radiotherapy may cause cartilage necrosis and is rarely used.

2. Basal cell carcinoma

It usually starts as a small gray nodule or slightly raised skin plaque, without any discomfort. Sometimes there is an itchy feeling, and it is easy to bleed and discharge after scratching. The nodule gradually increases in size, festering in the center to form an ulcer, with raised edges that resemble a crater. The tumor spreads in an invasive manner, often destroying cartilage, but generally grows slowly. Basal cell carcinoma rarely metastasizes.

Treatment: Local extended resection is more sensitive to radiotherapy, so radiotherapy can also be used.

3. Cerumen gland cancer in the external auditory canal

Cerumen gland cancer in the external auditory canal grows very slowly, and the subjective symptoms are often not obvious, and the history of the disease can be as long as several years before seeking medical treatment. In the early stage, there is often intermittent ear pain, which may turn into continuous severe pain in the late stage and spread to the temporal area and around the ear. Tumors blocking the external auditory canal can cause tinnitus and conductive hearing loss. Patients with a longer course of illness may be accompanied by secondary infection and otorrhea, such as otitis externa, otitis media, etc.

Local examination mainly shows a mass in the cartilaginous part of the external auditory canal, which is mostly located on the anterior and inferior wall of the external auditory canal, with a broad base, hard texture, and may be tender. The skin on the surface of the mass is intact (except when infected) and may be tender. The tumor may also appear as a ring-shaped nodule, causing the external auditory canal to narrow. When the tumor grows through the skin, it becomes granulation-like or nodular, and bloody and purulent exudate may be seen in the external auditory canal. The following clinical manifestations should be considered as the possibility of cerumen gland cancer in the external auditory canal, and biopsy of new tissues should be performed:

(1) The granulation tissue in the external auditory canal does not disappear after general treatment;

(2) The external auditory canal wall becomes narrowed, bulged, and has bloody secretions;

(3) Swelling in the external auditory canal accompanied by local pain or other ear symptoms.

Treatment: Not sensitive to radiotherapy, surgical excision is the main treatment, and the scope of complete surgical excision is determined by the location of the tumor.