Clinical experience of 23 cases of adenoid cystic carcinoma of the external auditory canal

Adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) of the external auditory canal (EAC) is a rare tumor. The present study aimed to describe the clinical features and survival of patients with ACC of the EAC. The present retrospective study included 23 patients (mean age, 51.4±15.4 years; 12 males) diagnosed with ACC of the EAC between January 2010 and September 2017 at The First Affiliated Hospital of The Third Military Medical University (Chongqing, China). The median disease course was 24 months. The presenting features were earache in 16 patients, otorrhea in 7 patients, hearing loss in 5 patients, feeling of aural fullness in 2 patients and EAC mass in 4 patients. Tumor stage was T1 in 13 patients, T2 in 3 patients, T3 in 3 patients and T4 in 4 patients. Among patients with T1 tumors, 5 underwent en bloc external EAC resection; 3 underwent local EAC resection; 1 underwent en bloc EAC resection and superficial parotidectomy; 1 underwent subtotal temporal bone resection for postoperative recurrence; Among patients with T4 tumors, 1 underwent extended temporal bone resection, right parotidectomy, right resection of middle cranial fossa tumors and right resection of temporomandibular joint capsule. 1 underwent subtotal temporal bone resection. Among these 15 patients who underwent surgery, 2 received postoperative radiotherapy, 1 received postoperative chemotherapy, 5 received postoperative chemo-radiotherapy, and 7 did not receive postoperative chemo-radiotherapy. The 3- and 5-year cumulative survival rates of the 23 patients were 47.8% and 17.4%, respectively. Survival may have been improved in patients who received postoperative chemo-radiotherapy and early diagnosis may be the key to improving survival.