Results in treatment of carcinoma of the external auditory canal and middle ear.

Of 31 patients treated for carcinoma of the external auditory canal and/or middle ear, 19 patients (61%) presented with a long-term history of otitis. Thirteen patients (42%) had cranial nerve involvement. The patients were treated by surgery, radiotherapy, or a combined treatment of surgery and radiotherapy. The overall 5-year crude survival rate was 29%. Irrespective of the final outcome, 19 patients (61%) obtained pain relief after initial treatment. Three of the patients with facial nerve involvement survived 5 years after the initial treatment. Postmortem examinations of ten patients revealed distant metastases in four patients.