Clinical Features of Benign Tumors of the External Auditory Canal According to Pathology

Background and Objectives: Benign tumors of the external auditory canal (EAC) are rare among head and neck tumors. The aim of this study was to analyze the clinical features of patients who underwent surgery for an EAC mass confirmed as a benign lesion. Methods: This retrospective study involved 53 patients with external auditory tumors who received surgical treatment at Korea University, Guro Hospital. Medical records and evaluations over a 10-year period were examined for clinical characteristics and pathologic diagnoses. Results: The most common pathologic diagnoses were nevus (40%), osteoma (13%), and cholesteatoma (13%). Among the five pathologic subgroups based on the origin organ of the tumor, the most prevalent pathologic subgroup was the skin lesion (47%), followed by the epithelial lesion (26%), and the bony lesion (13%). No significant differences were found in recurrence rate, recurrence duration, sex, or affected side between pathologic diagnoses. The overall recurrence rate after excision was 11% and higher in patients with fibro epithelial polyp, intra epidermal pilarepithelioma, and chronic inflammation. Culture of otorrhea identified pathogens in half of patients with recurrence, and the recurrence rate was considerably higher (50%) in cases confirmed to be infected by microorganism. Conclusion: Our results indicated that nevus was the most common pathologic diagnoses. The overall recurrence rate was 11%. Benign external auditory canal lesions that originate from the epithelium and bony canal should be observed closely in the postoperative follow-up period. Furthermore, treatment of infection is thought to be important for preventing recurrence.