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Cholesteatoma. Light micrograph of a sectioned cholesteatoma, a growth that is usually found in the ear. It is a skin-lined sac that contains dead skin cells debris and is normally found growing from the eardrum into the mastoid bone of the skull. It will damage structures in its path and, if not treated, may carry infection to the brain. Treatment involves surgical removal of the growth. Magnification unknown. (KEYSTONE/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY/CNRI)