Clinical outcomes of temporal bone squamous cell carcinoma: A single-institution experience

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the survival outcomes and potential prognostic factors of patients with temporal bone squamous cell carcinoma (TBSCC) treated at our institution.

Methods: We retrospectively included patients who were diagnosed with TBSCC between 2008 and 2019. The Kaplan-Meier (KM) method was used to describe overall survival (OS), and the association between baseline characteristics and prognoses was examined using Cox proportional hazards models.

Results: Fifty consecutive patients with TBSCC were included in this study. The results showed that patients with advanced modified Pittsburgh (MPB)- T classifications had a poorer prognosis (T3 vs. T1-2: HR: 2.81, 95% CI: 0.34-23.43; T4 vs. T1-2: HR: 7.25, 95% CI: 0.95-55.41; p = 0.041). Meanwhile, middle ear squamous cell carcinoma (MESCC) showed a significantly worse prognosis than external auditory canal squamous cell carcinoma (EACSCC, HR: 2.65, 95% CI: 1.04-6.76, p = 0.04).

Conclusions: MESCC and advanced MPB-T classifications might be considered predictors of unfavorable outcomes in patients with TBSCC, indicating that special attention should be paid to the original tumor subsite and tumor extension in the management of patients with TBSCC.