Radiation Oncology/Temporal Bone Tumor

• Rare tumor, accounting for fewer than 0.2% of all tumors of the head and neck
• Only 200 new cases of temporal bone cancer may be diagnosed each year across the United States
  1. Cancers arising from skin of the pinna that spread to the temporal bone
  2. Primary tumors of the external auditory canal (EAC), middle ear, mastoid, or petrous apex
  3. Metastatic lesions to the temporal bone
• Optimal surgery removes all of the cancer en bloc because positive margins are associated with poor survival rates
• In the most extreme cases in which contraindications to surgery are serious, palliative radiation and chemotherapy may be offered
• Literature supports a beneficial effect of postoperative radiation on survival:
  1. Temporal bone and neck treated with 50-60 Gy for tumors staged T3 and T4
  2. Radiation may also be indicated for smaller lesions