Cancer Res Treat.  2017 Jan;49(1):178-184. 10.4143/crt.2016.165.

Tumor Stage-Related Role of Radiotherapy in Patients with an External Auditory Canal and Middle Ear Carcinoma

• Choi J
• Kim SH
• Koh YW
• Choi EC
• Lee CG
• Keum KC

• KMID: 2367515
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4143/crt.2016.165

Abstract

PURPOSE
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical outcomes of patients treated with radiotherapy (RT) for a carcinoma of the external auditory canal (EAC) and middle ear.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
The records of 32 patients who received RT from 1990 to 2013 were reviewed retrospectively. The Pittsburgh classification was used to stage all the cancers (early stage, T1/T2 [n=12]; advanced stage, T3/T4 or N positive [n=20]). Twenty-one patients (65.6%) were treated with postoperative RT and 11 patients (34.4%) were treated with definitive RT. The median radiation doses for postoperative and definitive RT were 60 Gy and 64.8 Gy, respectively. Chemotherapy was administered to seven patients (21.9%).
RESULTS
The 5-year overall survival and disease-free survival rates for all patients were 57% and 52%, respectively. The disease control rates for the patients with early stage versus advanced stage carcinomawere 55.6% (5/9) and 50% (6/12) in the postoperative RT group and 66.7% (2/3) and 37.5% (3/8) in the definitive RT group, respectively. Overall, 15 cases (14 patients, 46.7%) experienced treatment failure; these failures were classified as local in four cases, regional in one case, and distant in 10 cases. The median follow-up period after RT was 51 months (range, 7 to 286 months).
CONCLUSION
Patients with early stage carcinoma achieved better outcomes when definitive RT was used. Advanced stage carcinoma patients experienced better outcomes with postoperative RT. The high rate of distant failure after RT, with or without surgery, reflected the lack of a consensus regarding the best therapeutic approach for treating carcinoma of the EAC and middle ear.

Keyword

Radiotherapy; Ear canal; Middle ear

MeSH Terms

Classification
Consensus
Disease-Free Survival
Drug Therapy
Ear Canal*
Ear, Middle*
Follow-Up Studies
Humans
Radiotherapy*
Retrospective Studies
Treatment Failure

Figure

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  Fig. 1. Patterns of care for 32 patients with external auditory canal and middle ear carcinoma according to the tumor stage. RT, radiotherapy; CRT, chemoradiation therapy.

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  Fig. 2. Overall survival and disease-free survival rates for patients with early stage versus advanced stage external auditory canal and middle ear carcinoma (A) and for treatment with postoperative radiotherapy (RT) vs. definitive RT (B).

Reference

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