High-Grade Temporal Bone Sarcoma Mimicking Cholesteatoma During Pregnancy: A Diagnostic Pitfall and Multidisciplinary Challenge

Osteosarcoma of the head and neck is an uncommon malignancy with heterogeneous clinical and radiological presentations, often leading to diagnostic challenges. Its occurrence during pregnancy further complicates management due to the need to balance maternal and fetal outcomes. We report the case of a 23-year-old pregnant woman who initially presented with right-sided otalgia, managed as otitis externa....

Clinicians should maintain a broad differential diagnosis for temporal bone lesions in pregnant patients; failure to consider malignancy when cholesteatoma is suspected can cause dangerous diagnostic delays, though this single case does not warrant a change in standard protocols.

Temporal bone malignancies masquerading as benign conditions represent a rare but high-stakes diagnostic pitfall that reinforces the value of multidisciplinary collaboration and histopathological confirmation before assuming a benign diagnosis.

1. 01High-grade temporal bone osteosarcoma was misidentified as cholesteatoma in a pregnant patient.
2. 02Pregnancy introduces additional diagnostic and management complexity for aggressive skull-base tumours.
3. 03Histopathological confirmation is essential when temporal bone lesions behave atypically.
4. 04A multidisciplinary team (ENT, oncology, obstetrics) was required for safe management.
5. 05This case adds to the limited literature on temporal bone sarcoma presenting during pregnancy.

PMID

42261510

DOI

10.7759/cureus.108462.

Journal

Cureus

Publication type

case_report

Evidence level

4

Sample size

1

Population

Single pregnant patient with high-grade temporal bone osteosarcoma initially presenting as suspected cholesteatoma

Intervention

Multidisciplinary diagnostic workup and management of temporal bone osteosarcoma during pregnancy