LONG-TERM EXPERIENCE WITH EAR PRESERVATION IN MALIGNANT-TUMORS OF THEEXTERNAL EAR

Malignant tumors of the external ear are frequent. There is considerab le discussion in the literature about the principles of surgical treat ment. To find out whether ear preservation in these tumors is safe, a retrospective study was carried out in 77 consecutive patients with 91 tumors resected for suspicion of malignancy. In 70 patients the tumor s were malignant. After three years, at review 62 of the 70 patients w ere alive, 59 (95.2%) were available for examination. Two of the 26 sq uamous cell carcinomas recurred, one of them in a patient with immunos uppression after kidney transplant. No metastatic disease was found. A ll ten patients with malignant melanoma - one of them with Breslow thi ckness >1.5 mm - were free of recurrence and metastasis after 49 month s on average. One patient with Merkel cell carcinoma, however, died of metastatic disease to the neck, para-aortal and retroperitoneal lymph nodes. In conclusion, it is our experience that tumors of the externa l ear could be managed safely by conservative resection with intraoper ative frozen section and meticulous long-term clinical follow-up. This allows for satisfactory preservation of the external ear.