Tumours can develop in the ear canal (the small tunnel leading to the eardrum), the lateral temporal bone (the bone around and behind the ear) and the parotid gland (the main saliva gland in front of the ear).
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These areas sit very close to the structures responsible for hearing, balance and facial movement, so even relatively small growths can cause noticeable symptoms. People may experience hearing loss, ear discharge, ear pain, a feeling of fullness in the ear, tinnitus (ringing), dizziness or weakness of the facial muscles. Sometimes there may be visible changes around the ear or jaw.
Being located so close to the body’s delicate hearing system also means these tumours require specialist assessment and treatment. These tumours can be benign (non-cancerous) or malignant (cancerous). Even benign tumours can cause problems because of their position, which is why they are treated by a highly specialist skull base team.
These do not spread to other parts of the body, but they can still cause significant symptoms because they grow close to important nerves, blood vessels and the skull base:
These can invade nearby tissues and may spread to other parts of the body:
While not a tumour itself, occasionally patients will suffer from a cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak as a result of an ear canal tumour. This could be due to erosion by the tumour or from a previous surgery. The fluid may leak around the brain through a defect in the temporal bone and may need repair.
Treatment depends on the tumour type, location and extent, but surgery is often central. Many tumours can be removed using approaches through or behind the ear, sometimes combined with skull base techniques, with the aim of removing the tumour safely while protecting hearing, balance and facial movement as much as possible. Cancer treatments such as radiotherapy may be recommended for malignant tumours or those that cannot be fully removed.
Patients are usually followed up with hearing tests, scans and nerve function checks. To learn more about the treatments for ear canal tumours available from the Skull Base Specialists click here.
