Trends of temporal bone cancer: SEER database

Objective: This retrospective review aims to analyze epidemiological trends related to temporal bone cancer, and primarily of the squamous cell subtype. Potential trends analyzed included age, gender, and geographical location. Data sources: This retrospective review analyzed data found in the National Cancer Institute's SEER Database for cases of carcinomas of the middle ear. Cases were selected between 1975 and 2016 and using the primary site of Middle Ear (Site code C30.1), and then narrowed using additional variables, which included age, sex, and state-county. Languages covered included English. Data extraction: The extracted data was entered into an Excel spreadsheet for further analysis in SPSS Version 25. Data synthesis: An Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) and a Bonferroni correction were applied to the data for further analysis of significant trends. The data was then placed into tables outlining the distribution of cases among select patient characteristics of age and sex, and significant age group pairwise comparisons. Conclusions: Age at diagnosis of temporal bone cancer is strongly associated with the prevalence of temporal bone cancer. We urge providers to consider subtypes of temporal bone cancer, including squamous cell carcinoma, when evaluating older adults with risk factors for temporal bone cancer and an abnormal physical exam.