Active surveillance, also called watchful waiting, means that our team closely monitors an ear growth. We typically use this approach for benign (noncancerous) ear growths. You may not need treatment right away, but we continue checking for signs that the ear growth has worsened, become cancerous, and may need treatment. Your doctor will coordinate regular testing and follow-up visits with you.

Ear cancer treatment usually involves removing the ear tumor with surgery. Our surgeons specialize in advanced microsurgery procedures and complex tumor removal.

The type of ear tumor surgery depends on the location, size, and extent (whether cancer has spread) of the tumor. We may remove cancer tissue from your outer ear skin, ear canal skin, ear drum, or lymph nodes (in your salivary glands or neck). Our surgeons specialize in tumor removal techniques that spare as much healthy tissue as possible.

If ear cancer affects your temporal bone or facial nerve, surgery may involve removing the bone around the ear canal. At Stanford Health Care, our surgeons take care to ensure the best possible outcome. We focus not only on curing cancer, but also on preserving hearing and physical appearance as much as possible.

In some cases, we may recommend radiation therapy for ear cancer. Radiation kills cancer cells while minimizing damage to nearby healthy tissue. You may get radiation therapy before or after surgery to help shrink the ear tumor or destroy remaining cancer cells.

To treat advanced ear cancer, you may need cancer medications. These medications work to shrink tumors and kill cancer cells throughout your whole body.

We most commonly use a group of strong drugs called chemotherapy for ear cancer. Your doctor may recommend you take these medications in pill form or as an injection into your blood vessels, muscles, or skin.

We may also recommend advanced cancer medications called immunotherapy. Immunotherapy prompts the body’s immune system to attack cancer cells. The immune system naturally protects your body from harmful toxins and disease. These medications often work well in combination with other cancer-fighting therapies, such as chemotherapy.

Ear tumors and their treatment can sometimes cause hearing loss. You may experience conductive hearing loss from damage to your outer ear, ear canal, eardrum, or middle ear. You could also get sensorineural hearing loss from damage to your inner ear or auditory nerve.

Ear cancer, specifically an inner ear tumor, may cause balance problems. You have access to the Stanford Health Care Vestibular Balance Program as part of ear cancer treatment.

Our Vestibular Balance Program team combines the expertise of otologists (ENT doctors), neurologists (brain doctors), rehabilitation medicine specialists, and orthopaedists (bone, joint, and muscle doctors). We evaluate your symptoms and come up with a treatment plan to improve your balance.

Sometimes an ear tumor affects your facial nerve, a bundle of nerve cells that allows you to move your face. When ear cancer changes the movement in your face, we can help. We work closely with the Stanford Health Care Facial Nerve Center to create a personalized rehabilitation plan for you.