Ear Tumors

What is an ear tumor?

An ear tumor is a mass or lump of abnormal cells that forms in your ear. Most ear tumors are benign, or noncancerous. But some ear tumors are malignant (cancerous).

Ear tumors can form in any part of your ear, including your inner ear, middle ear or outer ear. They may affect your hearing. It’s important to get tumors checked early on, before they potentially cause long-term issues.

What’s the difference between an ear cyst and an ear tumor?

Both cysts and tumors can cause a bump or lump on or in your ear:

• Cysts are small sacs that often contain fluid and usually aren’t cancerous. The most common ear cysts are sebaceous cysts (epidermal inclusion cysts). They can develop in your ear canal, behind your ear or on your earlobe.
• Tumors are solid masses of tissue that may or may not be cancerous. Most ear tumors are benign growths that form on your outer ear.

Types of benign (noncancerous) ear tumors

Noncancerous ear tumors can block your ear canal, leading to earwax buildup. Some types that form inside your ear can grow big enough to harm the organs that help you hear and balance:

• Acoustic neuromas (also called vestibular schwannomas) form on your vestibulocochlear nerve. This nerve in your inner ear connects to your brain.
• Adenomas are rare noncancerous tumors that develop in your middle ear.
• Cholesteatomas are sacs of fluid, air or skin cells that form behind your eardrum in your middle ear. They can lead to hearing loss if not treated.
• Exostoses and osteomas are benign bone tumors that form on bones in your external ear canal.
• Glomus tympanicum paraganglioma affects your tympanic nerve. This nerve in your middle ear connects to your eardrum.
• Keloids are a type of fibrous scar tissue. They can form after an ear piercing or trauma to your outer ear.

Types of malignant (cancerous) ear tumors

Cancer can form inside or on the outside of your ear. But ear cancer is rare.

Most cancer that affects your ear is actually skin cancer. Approximately 6% to 10% of skin cancers start on the outer ear. Skin cancers that may affect your ear include:

• Basal cell carcinoma.
• Melanoma.
• Squamous cell carcinoma.

Cancers that directly affect your middle or inner ear are even more uncommon:

• Adenoid cystic carcinoma is a rare cancer that most often forms in your salivary glands. In even rarer instances, it may form in your ear canal.
• Ceruminous adenoma forms in the cells that make earwax. This cancer doesn’t spread, but it can destroy parts of your ear canal.
• Rhabdomyosarcoma is a rare childhood cancer that affects muscle tissue. It may develop in your head or neck, including your middle ear.

What are the symptoms of an ear tumor?

Symptoms of an ear tumor vary depending on the tumor type and the part of your ear it affects. Signs of an ear tumor include:

• A bump on the outer part of your ear.
• Dizziness or balance problems.
• Ear bleeding or discharge.
• Ear pain.
• Headaches.
• Hearing loss.
• Nonhealing wound or sore.
• Skin discoloration, new moles or changes to a mole.
• Swollen lymph nodes.
• Tinnitus (ringing in your ears).
• Weak facial muscles.

What causes an ear tumor?

Ear tumors occur when your body makes new cells faster than usual. Sometimes, old, damaged cells don’t die off the way they should. Clumps of old and new cells group together, forming a tumor.

Cancerous ear tumors occur when the cells grow uncontrollably. Untreated, these malignant cells may spread to other locations in your body (metastatic cancer).

Risk factors for ear tumors

People of all ages, including children, can get ear tumors. Factors that increase your chances of developing an ear tumor include:

• Chronic ear infections.
• Ear piercings.
• Inherited conditions, such as neurofibromatosis (NFS).
• Prior radiation exposure.
• Repeated exposure to cold water, such as from scuba diving (surfer’s ear).
• Smoking, including exposure to secondhand smoke.

What are the complications of ear tumors?

Ear tumors, even ones that aren’t ear cancer, can cause hearing loss. They can cause frequent infections and impact the organs inside your ear that help you hear and balance.

Your healthcare provider can advise you on when it’s safe to monitor a tumor versus when you’ll need treatment to prevent issues like these.

How are ear tumors diagnosed?

Your healthcare provider may notice a tumor by examining your ear during a physical exam. They may refer you to an audiologist (hearing specialist) for a hearing test. You’ll likely also see an ear, nose and throat doctor (an ENT or otolaryngologist) who specializes in ear disorders.

If your provider suspects your ear tumor may be cancerous, they’ll perform a biopsy. This procedure removes the tumor or cells from the tumor. A pathologist (a doctor who studies diseases) examines the samples in a lab to make a diagnosis.

Because inner ear tumors are difficult to reach and biopsy, your provider may order a CT scan or MRI to learn more about them. In rare cases, you may need surgery to remove the tumor before a provider can diagnose it.

How are benign ear tumors treated?

Some noncancerous ear tumors don’t need treatment unless the tumor affects your hearing or balance. Your healthcare provider may monitor the tumor to keep an eye on its growth and check in with you about any symptoms you’re experiencing.

The most common treatments remove the growth through surgery or other methods. For example, providers often use radiosurgery (gamma knife surgery) to remove benign ear tumors like acoustic neuromas. This procedure directs high doses of radiation directly to the tumor. It’s not surgery, but it removes tumors with surgical-like precision.

To treat keloids, your healthcare provider may inject the tumor with a corticosteroid. Some keloids require surgical removal followed by radiation therapy to destroy any remaining cells.

How are malignant ear tumors treated?

Dermatologists (doctors who specialize in skin diseases) treat skin cancer on the outer ear. Treatment for cancerous ear tumors depends on the cancer type and location. Treatment might include:

• Mohs surgery to remove the cancerous skin cells.
• Radiation therapy, radiosurgery or chemotherapy to destroy cancer cells.
• Surgery to remove tumors and (potentially) nearby lymph nodes where cancer cells may have spread.

What’s the prognosis for people with ear tumors?

Small ear tumors that aren’t causing symptoms may not need treatment at all. But if a tumor is causing hearing loss or other issues, you may need surgery to remove it. Most people who get surgery or other treatments for benign ear tumors recover well.

The prognosis for ear cancer depends on things like the type of tumor, where it’s located and its stage (how much it’s spread). But even with melanoma (the deadliest form of skin cancer), the five-year survival rate is 99% when surgery removes the cancer before it’s spread.

Skin cancer on your outer ear can sometimes come back and spread to other parts of your body. You’ll need regular skin exams to keep an eye out for returning cancer.

When should I see my healthcare provider?

Call your healthcare provider if you experience:

• Balance problems or dizziness.
• Ear bleeding, discharge or pain.
• Hearing loss.
• Ringing in the ears (tinnitus).
• Skin changes to your ear, including a new lump, mole or sore.

What questions should I ask my healthcare provider?

You may want to ask your healthcare provider:

• Is my ear tumor malignant or benign?
• What type of ear tumor do I have?
• What’s the best treatment for me?
• What are the treatment risks and side effects?
• Should I look out for signs of complications?

A note from Cleveland Clinic

Most ear tumors are benign (not cancer) and don’t need treatment. But if a benign ear tumor affects your hearing or balance, you may need radiosurgery to get rid of it. Most cancerous ear tumors are actually skin cancers. These cancers require treatment. You should contact a healthcare provider if you notice changes in your hearing, feel a lump in or on your ear, or notice skin changes to your ear.