Cancer of The Ear, Temporal Bone Resection

Indications for Surgery

Cancer of the ear canal, middle, or inner ear.

Anesthesia

The Auditory Brainstem Implant procedure requires a General Anesthetic.

Surgical Time

The length of this procedure is 2 to 5 hours.

Hospital Admission

Small lesions may be treated as outpatients while larger resections require 2-5 day hospital admission.

About the Procedure

Cancer of the ear must be treated aggressively with removal of all of the abnormal growth and a margin of normal tissue. The amount of resection depends on the size of lesion. Small malignancies may be removed with removal of the ear canal only. Larger lesions require more tissue removal. Involved structures (such as nerves, blood vessels, or the inner ear) may need to be removed and reconstructed as well.

Side Note

Other treatment modalities may be necessary for cancer cure. Chemotherapy may be necessary following surgery. Radiation following surgery is used in most cases. On some occasions, a new approach using radiation therapy in the operating room has given promising results.