Abstract

We report an unusual case of spindle cell carcinoma of the external auditory canal, which responded well to two weeks’ treatment with the oral fluoropyrimidine anticancer drug S-1 (80 mg/body/day) followed by surgical resection. After the S-1 treatment, the tumor was significantly reduced in size, and a pathological examination only detected small lesions composed of malignant cells. We then conducted a lateral temporal bone resection combined with left modified neck dissection. The patient did not demonstrate any evidence of local recurrence or distant metastasis during the 5-year follow-up period. It is suggested that S-1 played an important role in reducing the size of the tumor to allow radical resection of the tumor with a sufficient surgical margin in the present case and that induction chemotherapy with S-1 prior to surgery might be an effective treatment strategy for controlling spindle cell carcinoma of the ear.

Keywords: Spindle cell carcinoma, External auditory canal, S-1