Primary Ewing Sarcoma of the Mastoid: A Novel Case Mimicking Acute Mastoiditis

Ewing sarcoma of the temporal bone with aneurysmal bone cyst-like changes: A rare case report with an unusual radiological presentation

Ewing sarcoma (ES) is a malignant small round cell tumor, accounting for 10-15% of all primary bone tumors and approximately 3% of all pediatric cancers. Primary ES of the cranial bone is unusual with reported incidence from 1% to 6% of all ES cases. This report shows a rare case of primary ES of the squamous temporal bone in a 12-year-old boy with a history of swelling of the right temporal region and symptoms of increased intracranial pressure. We illustrate the extremely unusual radiological presentation of this primary ES of temporal bone associated with large aneurysmal bone cyst-like (ABC-like) changes. The boy was successfully treated according to Euro Ewing 2012 protocol. He is alive with no evidence of recurrence and metastasis after 16 months of completed treatment.

A Review of Noninfectious Diseases Masquerading as Acute Mastoiditis

OBJECTIVE

Acute mastoiditis is commonly attributed to infection. Rarely do clinicians encounter cases that do not respond to traditional antibiotics or surgical management. The goal of this study was to systematically review the literature to characterize diseases masquerading as acute infectious mastoiditis.

DATA SOURCES

PubMed, Embase, and Scopus.

REVIEW METHODS

A systematic review was performed to identify all publications that reported on diseases with presentations mimicking acute mastoiditis, defined as postauricular redness, swelling, and tenderness. We included clinical prospective studies, retrospective studies, and case series/reports. Exclusion criteria included non-English articles, letters/commentaries, abstracts, and review articles.

RESULTS

Out of 3339 results, 35 studies met final inclusion criteria. In children, 11 diseases were reported to mimic mastoiditis, including solid tumors, hematologic diseases, and autoimmune/inflammatory diseases. The most common disease in children was Langerhans cell histiocytosis, followed by rhabdomyosarcoma and acute myelogenous leukemia. In adults, 8 additional diseases were reported. The most common disease in adults was squamous cell carcinoma, followed by nasopharyngeal carcinoma and Langerhans cell histiocytosis. Presenting symptoms are reviewed, as well as characteristic radiographic, laboratory, and intraoperative features that may assist with diagnosis. A diagnostic algorithm for atypical cases of acute mastoiditis is proposed.

CONCLUSION

A small but significant group of diseases in children and adults can mimic acute mastoiditis. In such cases, history and examination alone may be insufficient to reach a diagnosis, and further investigation may be necessary. Otolaryngologists should always be mindful of the possibility that noninfectious pathologies may present with a constellation of symptoms similar to mastoiditis.

Auriculotemporal Carcinoma - A Retrospective Case Series

Rationale

Eleven cases with auriculotemporal cancer were reviewed for prognostic analysis.

Patient Concerns

Follow-up ranged from 1.2 to 12 years (median 5.01 years).

Diagnosis Treatment and Outcome

Three patients with parotid gland carcinoma, out of those, two had chemoradiotherapy, died in the first 2 years of treatment. They were at stage T4 and tumour progressed with distant metastasis. Otorrhoea was the most common symptom in patients with primary temporal bone carcinoma. One patient with auricular carcinoma had a recurrence at the primary site 13 months after surgery. One patient with T1, two patients with T2 and one patient with T3 have completed a 5-year survival period. One patient with T1 and another one with T2 are still at a 2-year follow-up period with no recurrence.

Take-Away Lessons

Complete resection is the treatment of choice. Post-operative radiotherapy is highly recommended. The most decisive prognostic indicator is the advanced stage. Early diagnosis has great importance.

Primary Ewing's sarcoma of the temporal bone: a rare entity and review of the literature

Ewing's sarcoma (ES) is the second most common malignant primary bone tumour in children and adolescents. It primarily affects the diaphysis of long bones and pelvis. ES arising from temporal bone is extremely rare. To date, 43 such cases have been described in the literature. Clinical and radiological features are non-specific. Diagnosis is based mainly on immunohistochemistry. The present article presents an extremely rare case of ES of the temporal bone in a 20-year young man, and he was successfully treated with multiagent chemotherapy and radiotherapy.