Life quality of the advanced ear cancer patient treated with combined radiotherapy and chemotherapy

Abstract

A 43 years old woman was admitted to our hospital in July 1996 with large, ulcerated infiltration of the external, middle and internal ear. A cortical bone of the temporal pyramid was involved and destroyed from the inside of the skull.

Cancer of the ear was preceded by a discoid lupus erythematodes lesion. Histopatologhical examination confirmed the diagnosis – keratinized squamous cell cancer.

The patient was treated with radiation therapy (3 Gy per day, Co-60, isocentre technique, total dose of 54 Gy was delivered with two-week rest) and chemotherapy (MTX and BLEO once a week) concurrently.

The follow up in January 1997 with CT examination revealed a small lesion in the external auditory meatus. The patient was proposed a wide surgical excision of the recurrence. She denied surgery and was irradiated using small fields, 2 Gy per fraction to the total dose of 14 Gy.

Presently, the patient is living without pain. There is small pus discharge from the external auditory meatus. The lupus lesions in the irradiated volume are healed.

In conclusion, the palliative radiotherapy was a reasonable alternative to the extensive surgical excision.