Use of fine-needle aspiration cytology in the diagnosis of parotid neoplasms

Abstract

Background: This study aimed to assess the accuracy of fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) in diagnosing parotid lesions, differentiating non-neoplastic lesions from neoplastic lesions and identifying benign and malignant lesions. Method: Retrospective data were collected from a single-surgeon practice in Toowoomba, a regional centre of Queensland. The FNAC results of 97 parotidectomy patients from 2006 to 2013 were compared with final histopathologic diagnosis, and statistical analysis of these results was carried out. Results: The study found that FNAC could reliably differentiate between neoplastic and non-neoplastic lesions with a sensitivity and specificity of 95.4 and 100%. FNAC was less accurate in diagnosing malignancy, with sensitivity only 75% and specificity 97.5%. In the setting of squamous cell carcinoma, the most common malignancy identified, FNAC demonstrated even lower sensitivity of 58.8%. Conclusion: FNAC is a useful tool in the evaluation of parotid masses but should be used with caution in identifying neoplastic subtypes.