Malignant tumours of the pinna: a two-and-a-half-year study

Over a 2.5 year period, a total of 142 pinna lesions were studied with regard to the incidence, clinical features, treatment and follow up. The types of surgical procedures, anaesthesia and postop complications were all analyzed. Of these, 65 were malignant with squamous cell carcinomas (SCC) still being the most common malignancy (43.93%), followed closely by basal cell carcinomas (BCC). While basal cell carcinomas were evenly distributed in all regions of the pinna, squamous cell carcinomas and even malignant melanomas (MM) were most frequently found over the helical rim. Compared to the early 1970’s, the disease prognosis has improved significantly over the past three decades mainly due to improved screening and patient awareness.