A Case of Carcinoid Tumors in the Ear Canal With Long-Term Postoperative Follow-Up

Carcinoid tumors in the ear canal are very rare. In this report, we experienced a case of carcinoid tumor of the ear canal that underwent total tumor resection. This study included a 39-year-old man presented with a chief complaint of right-sided hearing loss. Computed tomography scan showed a shadow from the ear canal to the right tympanic chamber. There were no suspicious findings of metastasis in the cervical lymph nodes or other organs. At the time of surgery, the tumor was simply removed because it was small and there was no adhesive invasion. Postoperatively, the patient has been under observation for 11.5 years without any recurrence. Carcinoid tumors in the ear canal can rarely metastasize or recur after more than 10 years. It is important to follow up with the patient for a long time after surgery, using the Ki-67 index of the removed tissue as a prognostic reference.