Carcinoma of the external auditory meatus and middle ear. Prognostic factors and a suggested staging system.

A staging system is suggested for carcinomas of the external and middle ear, based on a personal series of 47 patients. Statistical analysis showed that the proposed system was a valid method of identifying significant predictor factors. Other significant predictors of survival were histology, lymph node metastases, and the patients' general condition. Stage-for-stage there was no significant difference in survival between tumours of the external and middle ear.