A Case of Malignant Melanoma of the Middle Ear

Abstract

Only a few cases of malignant melanoma of the middle ear have been reported in the literature to date. We report herein on a case of malignant melanoma in a 76 years old female with right facial palsy and hearing loss in her right ear. An otoscopic examination revealed a black right tympanic membrane. Computed tomography imaging showed a dense mass of soft tissue, filling the right tympanum and the right mastoid cavity, and invading the middle skull base. The diagnosis of malignant melanoma was confirmed on excisional biopsy of the tumor in the right mastoid cavity. We used a CyberKnife system as a palliative procedure, because the disease was considered as being inoperable. The treatment achieved stable disease (SD) status for 6 months. After 6 months metastases were detected in her sacral bone and liver. Although the patient died 11 months after the first examination, she suffered from nothing more than facial palsy and hearing loss until she died. Our case indicates that CyberKnife therapy could be feasible for controlling a patient’s QOL concomitantly with treating malignant melanoma of the middle ear.