[A rare cause of otitis externa : Manifestation of myeloid sarcoma in the petrous bone].
WHY IT MATTERS
This case shows that persistent ear infections that don't respond to standard treatment could be a sign of leukemia relapse, meaning AML patients with unusual ear symptoms need urgent investigation beyond typical infection treatment.
A 45-year-old man had ear canal swelling and an ear infection that wouldn't go away with normal treatment. Doctors performed surgery but didn't find the cause at first. After more testing, they discovered the real problem: cancer cells from a blood disease called acute myeloid leukemia (AML) had come back and were growing in the bone behind his ear.
[A rare cause of otitis externa : Manifestation of myeloid sarcoma in the petrous bone]. Abstract: A 45-year-old male patient presented with pronounced swelling of the external auditory canal and symptoms of otitis externa which did not respond to conservative treatment. Due to concomitant mastoiditis, mastoidectomy was performed in the later course, which did not provide conclusive histological results. In the absence of improvement, biopsy of the external auditory canal and mastoid revision with repeated pathological analysis were carried out. Ultimately, a myeloid sarcoma representing a relapse of previously remitted acute myeloid leukemia (AML) was identified. Ein 45-jähriger Patient präsentierte sich mit einer ausgeprägten Gehörgangsschwellung sowie Symptomen einer Otitis externa, die auf konservative Behandlungsversuche nicht ansprachen. Im weite Authors: Ihle et al. Journal: HNO MeSH: Humans, Male, Otitis Externa, Middle Aged, Sarcoma, Myeloid, Petrous Bone, Diagnosis, Differential, Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute, Treatment Outcome, Rare Diseases
ASK YOUR DOCTOR
If you have a history of AML and develop ear swelling or infection that doesn't improve with standard treatment, ask your oncologist to consider whether additional imaging or biopsy is needed to rule out leukemia recurrence.