AND IMPORTANCE: Temporal bone malignancies are rare, representing only 0.2% of head and neck malignancies, with an annual incidence of 1 to 6 cases per million. Metastatic involvement of the petrous apex is particularly uncommon, with prostate cancer accounting for approximately 8.6% of temporal bone metastases....
✦ The floor
Discussion
Signed responses from readers of the wire.
Audiologists and ENT-adjacent clinicians should be aware that unexplained symptoms in the temporal bone region can occasionally signal a distant cancer; however, this single case report does not change routine audiology practice.
This rare presentation highlights that temporal bone symptoms can be the first sign of a previously undiagnosed systemic malignancy, reinforcing the importance of differential diagnosis.
- 01Petrous apex metastasis was the presenting sign of prostate cancer in this patient.
- 02Temporal bone malignancies account for only ~0.2% of head and neck cancers.
- 03Case includes a literature review of similar rare metastatic temporal bone cases.
- 04Single case report; evidence level is very low.
- 05Clinicians should consider malignancy in atypical temporal bone lesions.
Temporal bone malignancies account for 0.2% of head and neck cancers.
studypartially supportedPetrous apex metastasis can be the initial clinical presentation of prostate cancer.
studypartially supported- PMID
- 42857294
- DOI
- 10.1097/RC9.0000000000000962.
- Publication type
- case_report
- Evidence level
- 4
- Sample size
- 1
- Population
- Single patient presenting with petrous apex metastasis as initial manifestation of prostate cancer
- Intervention
- Diagnostic workup and identification of petrous apex metastasis
Primary outcomes
Identification of prostate cancer via petrous apex metastasis; Literature review of temporal bone malignancy presentations