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Long-term survival outcomes of temporal bone resection and reconstruction at a UK tertiary skull base centre

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 December 2025

Yuri Hirayama Open the ORCID record for Yuri Hirayama [Opens in a new window] ,
Jameel Muzaffar ,
Muhammad Umar Farooq Open the ORCID record for Muhammad Umar Farooq [Opens in a new window] ,
Raghu Kumar ,
Charlie Huins ,
Peter Monksfield  and
Richard Irving
Yuri Hirayama*
Affiliation:
Department of Otology & Neurotology, University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
Jameel Muzaffar
Affiliation:
Department of Otology & Neurotology, University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
Muhammad Umar Farooq
Affiliation:
Department of Otology & Neurotology, University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
Raghu Kumar
Affiliation:
Department of Otology & Neurotology, University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
Charlie Huins
Affiliation:
Department of Otology & Neurotology, University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
Peter Monksfield
Affiliation:
Department of Otology & Neurotology, University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
Richard Irving
Affiliation:
Department of Otology & Neurotology, University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
*
Corresponding author: Yuri Hirayama; Email: yuri.hirayama@doctors.org.uk
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Abstract

Objective

To evaluate clinical characteristics, complications and survival outcomes in patients undergoing lateral temporal bone resection for malignancy at a tertiary skull base centre.

Methods

This retrospective cohort study analysed patients treated between 2004 and 2023 at a UK tertiary referral centre. Data collected included demographics, histological diagnosis, stage, surgical approach, reconstruction and adjuvant therapy. Complications and survival were examined using descriptive statistics, Kaplan–Meier survival curves and Cox proportional hazards modelling.

Results

Eighty-nine patients were included (mean age, 67.2 years; 69.7 per cent male). Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) was the most frequent diagnosis (58.4 per cent) and lateral temporal bone resection was the predominant procedure (73.0 per cent). Post-operative complications occurred in 25.8 per cent of patients, with haematoma the most common complication. Median follow up was 19 months. The 5-year overall survival rate was 50 per cent, with significant differences by cancer stage and patient age.

Conclusion

Surgical management of lateral temporal bone malignancies, predominantly SCC, carries significant morbidity, while survival and complication rates mirror published literature, with outcomes chiefly influenced by age and cancer stage rather than nodal status.

Keywords

temporal boneskull basehead and neck neoplasmscarcinoma, squamous cell

Information

Type
Main Article
Information
The Journal of Laryngology & Otology , Volume 140 , Issue 2 , February 2026 , pp. 203 - 213
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of J.L.O. (1984) LIMITED.

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Footnotes

Yuri Hirayama takes responsibility for the integrity of the content of the paper

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