Cancer of the Ear Canal

michela_j_

I was recently diagnosed with invasive squamous cell carcinoma of the ear canal. I had an initial surgery to remove the visible tumor and to biopsy it (which led to my diagnosis). The first pathology report was inconclusive so they sent it on to experts for their interpretation, which resulted in a diagnoses of SCC. They are currently recommending a surgery to remove/close off my ear canal, remove part or all of my temporal bone, part or all of my lymph nodes on that side of the neck, plus a parotidectomy. Do any of you have experience with this? It's a rare presentation of cancer so I've been having trouble finding a lot of good resources online and would really love to connect with folks who have gone through this themselves. Gratefully, M.

wbcgaruss

Hello, michela_j_, and welcome to the CSN H&N discussion forum.

I would agree with you it is a rare presentation of cancer and honestly, one I have not heard of or encountered.

My first hope for you would be that you are with a major hospital or cancer center where, hopefully, unusual cases are seen at times. And that the doctors there would have connections to other major hospitals and cancer centers to share cases and confer with each other.

Secondly, your case sounds rather involved, so you want to make sure it is a one-and-done situation. When treating your situation, you don't want to have to revisit the area for more treatment.

So don't hesitate to get a second opinion if you feel it should be done. I think it may be wise in this situation and reassure you that you are doing the right thing.

I would also recommend you check out the Superthread at the top of the head and neck home page there is loads of information in there with links and you will find it helpful.

Also our Motto here is NEGU (Never Ever Give Up)

Please keep that in you mind as you progress.

Wishing You The Best

Take Care, God Bless

Russ

michela_j_

Thanks for the tips, Russ. I will definitely check those things out.