Background: Otitis media with effusion (OME) is a known side effect of radiation therapy in patients with head and neck cancer.
Aims/objectives: To investigate the incidence rate and clinical course of radiation-induced OME, we have reported on the long-term characteristics of OME in patients with parotid gland malignancy.
Material and methods: This cohort study assessed 200 patients who underwent post-parotidectomy radiation therapy from January 2010 to December 2019 in a tertiary referral center. Postoperative radiation therapy was performed at 6 weeks post-surgery. Serial magnetic resonance images were collected to detect otitis media. Two blinded otologists individually assessed data from radiation therapy initiation to 36 months of post-radiation therapy.
Results: A total of 121 patients were enrolled (male, 61 [50.4%]; mean age, 46.98 ± 15.69 years), of which 14 developed otitis media (11.6%) within 6 months after radiation therapy. Spontaneous remission occurred without intervention within 1 year, excluding one patient who sustained otitis media for 2 years.
Conclusions and significance: Radiation-induced OME occurred in 11.6% of patients and it remitted within 1 year without intervention. Therefore, cooperation between otolaryngologists and radiation oncologists is required and invasive intervention should be considered with careful risk-benefit evaluation.
Keywords: Parotid neoplasms; otitis media; radiotherapy.