Cancer of the ear
A team of doctors and other professionals discuss the best treatment and care for you. They are called a multidisciplinary team (MDT).
The treatment you have depends on:
where in the ear the cancer is
the type of cancer you have
the size of the tumour
whether it's spread beyond the area it started in (the stage)
your general health
The type and amount of surgery you have depends on the stage of your cancer. Your specialist nurse and surgeon will tell you about your surgery and the possible side effects. They will also talk to you about how you will look afterwards and how you might feel.
This is the most common type of surgery for cancer of the outer ear. The surgeon removes your cancer and a border of healthy tissue around it. A pathologist looks at the tissue under a microscope.
You might need to have further surgery if cancer cells are found in the border of tissue. Removing a border of healthy tissue around the cancer helps to lower the risk of the cancer coming back.
Mohs micrographic surgery is a specialist technique.
The doctor removes a little cancer tissue and it is immediately examined under a microscope. They only remove more tissue (and examine it) if the tissue contains cancer cells.
The surgeon continues in this way until they have removed all of the cancer. The aim is to keep as much healthy skin as possible.
Find out more about Mohs micrographic surgery
You might have a wide local excision if your cancer wasn't completely removed when you had the biopsy. A larger area of the skin and tissue of the ear is removed.
You might need to have a skin graft or flap if a very large area is involved. This is when your surgeon takes skin or tissue from another part of your body to repair the area.
Read more about a skin graft or skin flap in our skin cancer information
Your surgeon might remove nearby lymph nodes if your lymph nodes are swollen.
You might also need to have one of your salivary glands removed. Your mouth might feel drier after this. But there are a number of salivary glands in your mouth so you will still make some saliva.
This is a very rare operation. Your surgeon will only suggest it if your cancer is affecting most of your outer ear. Your surgeon might be able to rebuild (reconstruct) your ear. This is only carried out by specialist surgeons.
Surgeons carry out a reconstruction either by using living tissue or using a false (prosthetic) ear. There are pros and cons to each type of surgery. Your specialist surgeon will talk to you about the best operation for you.
Making an ear out of living tissue can be complicated and is usually a longer procedure. It needs at least 2 operations.
The false ear is made of flesh coloured hard rubber (silicone). The silicone ear is a less complicated operation, but the ear is removable.
The surgeon puts pins in the bone behind your ear and you attach the prosthetic ear to those. The ear can become unclipped from the pins if it is knocked. It's not permanently fixed and you have to remove it daily to clean it.
The colour of the silicone might change in time so that it doesn’t match your skin. Most people need to have a new silicone ear about every 18 months.
Your hearing should not be affected with either of these operations. This is because the middle ear is not removed. If the cancer has grown into the ear canal your surgeon may need to remove this. But you should still be able to hear after the operation.
Superficial radiotherapy is a type of external radiotherapy. It treats cancer on or close to the skin surface. Superficial radiotherapy means that the radiation doesn't travel far into your body.
You can have superficial radiotherapy with low energy x-rays (photons) or electrons. Your doctor will decide which one you need. This depends on the size and depth of the cancer and where it is in the body.
You might have superficial radiotherapy:
as your only treatment, if the cancer on the outer flap of your ear (the pinna) is small
after surgery, particularly if your surgeon couldn't remove a border of healthy tissue from around the cancer
Radiotherapy after surgery can lower the chance of your cancer coming back.
The length of the radiotherapy course depends on the size of your cancer. Some people have radiotherapy between 2 to 4 weeks. You usually have treatment every day from Monday to Friday.
Before you start, your radiotherapy doctor plans your treatment. This means working out the dose of radiotherapy you need and exactly where you need it. Your planning appointment takes from 15 minutes to 2 hours. The treatment you have daily only takes a few minutes.
Find out more about superficial radiotherapy to the skin
The side effects of radiotherapy include:
reddening of the skin of the ear
sore and tender ear
swelling around the ear
Your doctor, nurse or radiographer will go through all the side effects with you and tell you what you can do to help relieve them.
Rarely, the ear can become sore some time after treatment has finished. Tell your doctor as soon as possible if your ear changes colour or becomes sore.
You have regular check ups once your treatment has finished. Your doctor will examine your ear and ask about your general health. You can ask any questions you have and tell your doctor if anything is worrying you.
How often you have check ups depends on your situation. They usually start off every 2 or 3 months and gradually become less often.
Coping with a diagnosis of cancer can be difficult. Being well informed about your cancer and its treatment can help. It can make it easier to make decisions and cope with what happens.
Talking to other people who have the same thing can also help.
Our discussion forum Cancer Chat is a place for anyone affected by cancer. You can share experiences, stories and information with other people.
You can call our nurse freephone helpline on 0808 800 4040. They are available from Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm. Or you can send them a question online.
Last reviewed: 10 Feb 2025
Next review due: 10 Feb 2028
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Treatment for cancer that starts in the ear canal, middle and inner ear include surgery and radiotherapy. Find out more.
There are things you can do to help you feel more in control of your health when preparing for treatment. This is called prehabilitation or prehab.
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