A patient with external ear cancer used earpick daily for nearly 10 years.
Mr. Zhou, a 50-year-old from Guangzhou, China, visited a hospital due to pain and discharge from his left ear.
After conducting tests, the doctor informed Mr. Zhou that he had external ear cancer.
Surprised, Mr. Zhou asked, “Can you get cancer in the ear?” to which the doctor replied, “It’s because of your daily habit of using an earpick.”
For 10 years, Mr. Zhou had been stimulating the outer surface of his external ear canal with an earpick, leading to abnormal cell growth in the ear tissue.
External ear cancer is a rare type of malignant tumor.
It accounts for about 0.2% of head and neck tumors, and its overall incidence is approximately 1 in 1 million, making it a rare disease. Because of its rarity, it is often misdiagnosed and usually discovered when symptoms are severe.
External ear cancer generally occurs in adults in their 40s to 60s, and treatment usually involves surgery and medication.
Surgery is most effective in the early stages of external ear cancer, with survival rates ranging from 90 to 100%. However, for late-stage cancer, the survival rate is only between 3.58 and 72.5%.
After learning about his cancer, Mr. Zhou changed his long-standing habit. Fortunately, he recovered well after undergoing surgery and additional radiation and chemotherapy treatments.
On a related note, inserting an earpick deeply due to an itchy ear can cause a perforated eardrum.
A perforated eardrum is a condition in which a hole forms in the eardrum, causing an increase in ear ringing due to damage to the ear. A perforated eardrum can also cause a sudden decrease in hearing and the discharge of blood or pus.
Particularly for patients with diabetes, inflammation in the external ear can invade the surrounding bone tissue, so it is recommended not to dig out earwax.
Most Commented