Diagnostic role of fine needle aspiration cytology in the evaluation of salivary gland lesions

Abstract

Introduction: Fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) is a popular method for diagnostic evaluation of salivary gland lesions due to their superficial nature and easy accessibility for the procedure. The technique is simple and cost effective. The present study was conducted to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of fine needle aspiration cytology in various salivary gland tumors, which helps in an early diagnosis and appropriate therapeutic management.

Methods: The study was conducted in the Department of Pathology in Kathmandu Medical College and Teaching Hospital, Sinamangal, Kathmandu, Nepal from October 2014 to September 2016 (2 years). A total of 48 fine needle aspirations of salivary gland lesions were done, of which histopathological conformation of diagnosis was available in 34 cases. A standard cytological and histopathological staining were used and examined.

Results: Forty eight cases of salivary gland lesions were included in the study. The age of patients ranged from 6 to 88years, with a mean age of 46years. Male: female ratio was 1.4:1 with common site being the parotid gland. Histopathological conformation of diagnosis was available in 34 cases. Pleomorphic adenoma was found to be the most common benign tumor (50%) and mucoepidermoid carcinoma (14.70%) was the commonest malignant tumor. The overall diagnostic accuracy of FNAC in diagnosing salivary gland lesions was 89.47% with a sensitivity of 77.77 and a specificity of 93.10%.

Conclusion: Fine needle aspiration cytology is an important and useful diagnostic tool for diagnosing salivary gland lesions. Proper sampling of lesions and adequate cellularity of the smears are the pre- requisites for accurate diagnosis. Hence, the appropriate therapeutic management could plan earlier.