Background
We evaluated the diagnostic accuracy of fine‐needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) in a large series of benign and malignant parotid tumors.
Methods
The FNAC diagnosis of 821 benign and 175 malignant parotid tumors managed at our department between 1999 and 2017 was correlated with the final histology.
Results
FNAC made a correct histopathological diagnosis in 72% of the benign parotid tumors; however, FNAC provided a correct grade in only 34% of the malignant tumors. FNAC correctly identified the histology of 94% of pleomorphic adenomas subsequently confirmed by histopathological examination. The sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic accuracy of FNAC for detecting malignancy were 82.3%, 98.7%, and 95.9%, respectively.
Conclusion
FNAC generally provided the correct histological diagnosis for benign tumors. However, the histological evaluation and grading of malignant tumors were poor. Although FNAC showed good sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy, its sensitivity decreased when nondiagnostic cases were included in the analysis.
A tumor with an MFTD ≥3 mm on preoperative ultrasonography is very likely to be a deep tumor based on a new differentiation method for deep parotid tumors considering those present at other locations.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.