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18/14/1D Amar Nath Jha Marg, Cooperative Chauraha, George Town, Allahabad - 211002, Near Toshi Pathology
Ear cancer can affect both the inner and external parts of the ear. It often starts as a skin cancer on the outer ear that then spreads throughout the various ear structures, including the ear canal and the eardrum.
Ear cancer may also start from within the ear. It can affect the bone inside the ear, called the temporal bone. The temporal bone also includes the mastoid bone. This is the bony lump you feel behind your ear.
Ear cancer is very rare. Only about 300 people in the United States are diagnosed with it each year. In contrast, more than 250,000 new cases of breast cancerTrusted Source are expected to be diagnosed in 2018, according to the National Cancer Institute.
Tests for ear cancer
Your doctor will examine you and you might have blood tests to check your general health.
The only way to confirm a diagnosis of cancer is to take a small amount of tissue (biopsy) from the abnormal area of the ear. This is then examined under a microscope. Before your doctor takes the biopsy you have a local anaesthetic to numb the area so you don’t have any pain.
You might have an MRI scan or a CT scan if the biopsy shows you have cancer. This helps your doctor decide which treatment you need.
Surgery
The type and amount of surgery you need depends on where the cancer is and whether it has spread into surrounding tissues or nearby structures like bone.
Your surgeon will remove the tumour together with an area of tissue surrounding it that is completely free of cancer cells. The area is called a clear margin. It helps lower the risk of the cancer coming back.
Your surgeon might remove some or all of the following:
The temporal bone is the bone at the side of your skull, by the ear. The operation to remove the temporal bone is called a mastoidectomy or temporal bone resection.
Rarely, your surgeon might need to remove the facial nerve. This runs down the side of the face and through the salivary gland. They may also need to remove the lymph nodes in your neck and the salivary gland on that side of your head.
