THE CLASSIFICATION of new growths of the ear based on origin comprises three types: (1) extrinsic, in which only the auricle, concha, or external canal is involved; (2) intrinsic, which involves the tympanic membrane, tympanic cavity, or mastoid process, and (3) indeterminate, the origin of which cannot be accurately ascertained. In this report, only intrinsic carcinomas will be discussed.
Malignancy of the middle ear and mastoid process is relatively rare; among about 700,000 patients treated in the otorhinolaryngologic service at the Brooklyn Eye and Ear Hospital in the past 17 years, only 8 cases are on record. Towson and Shofstall1 noted only 0.0016% of 1,883 patients admitted in a two-year period at Jefferson Hospital, Philadelphia, to have carcinoma of the intrinsic type. During a six-year period at the Mayo Clinic, Figi and Hempstead2 reported an incidence of 0.003%. Mattick and Mattick3 found approximately 1 case among 7,000