Maxine my 13 year old chow has been having cronic ear problems for about 8 months now. Recently we had a videoscope done and she was diagnosed with papillary adenocarcinoma of the ear. She will be having surgery on the 13th of march,to remove the tumor and the whole ear canal. I was wondering if there are any statistics on this operation and life span and quality of life after surgery. Thank You

Hi,
This is a scientific paper I found which will give you some general information. Good luck with your Chow Chow!

drphilvegasvet

Evaluation of dogs and cats with tumors of the ear canal: 145 cases (1978-1992).
J Am Vet Med Assoc 208 :1413-8 1996 May 1

London CA ; Dubilzeig RR ; Vail DM ; Ogilvie GK ; Hahn KA ; Brewer WG ; Hammer AS ; O'Keefe DA ; Chun R ; McEntee MC ; McCaw DL ; Fox LE ; Norris AM ; Klausner JS
OBJECTIVE--To characterize the frequency, clinical signs, biologic behavior, and response to treatment of tumors of the ear canal in dogs and cats. DESIGN--Retrospective analysis of medical records. ANIMALS--Medical records of 81 dogs (48 malignant tumors, 33 benign tumors) and 64 cats (56 malignant tumors, 8 benign tumors). PROCEDURE--Data were analyzed for cats and dogs with malignant tumors, and risk factors were analyzed for their potential impact on survival time. RESULTS--Malignant tumor types most commonly reported included ceruminous gland adenocarcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and carcinoma of undetermined origin. Median survival time of dogs with malignant aural tumors was > 58 months, whereas that of cats was 11.7 months. A poor prognosis was indicated by extensive tumor involvement (dogs) and by neurologic signs at time of diagnosis, diagnosis of squamous cell carcinoma or carcinoma of undetermined origin, and invasion into lymphatics or blood vessels (cats). CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS--Malignant tumors of the ear canal in dogs and cats have a propensity for local invasion, but tend not to metastasize. Squamous cell carcinoma and carcinoma of undetermined origin were the most locally aggressive tumors. Malignant tumors of the ear canal are best managed by aggressive surgical excision. Radiotherapy may be useful when tumors cannot be completely removed.