ABSTRACT
The estimated incidence of temporal bone (TB) malignancy by the National Cancer Institute is 0.8-6 cases per million population per year (1,2). Squamous cell carcinoma (SCCA) represents the majority of these cases (3-6). SCCA, a rare neoplasm with an overall aggressive nature and poor prognosis, is estimated to comprise 90% of all primary malignant tumors originating in the TB (7-9). Kuhel et al. (10) described the sites of origin for TB SCCA: auricle (60-70%), the external auditory canal (EAC) (20-30%), and the middle ear (I 0% ). There is a report of isolated SCCA in situ of the tympanic membrane (II). The advanced nature of lesions frequently makes it harder to assess the site of origin. Most reports found a peak age incidence of SCCA of the EAC to occur in the mid-50s (5,10,12). However, the population developing middle ear malignancy appears to be "'10 years younger (13). From conflicting data of multiple studies on the sex distribution of SCCA of TB, it appears that the distribution is equal between men and women (3,5,14-17).
