Salivary gland masses: the diagnostic value of fine-needle aspiration cytology.

A series of 165 needle aspirates (134 from the parotid gland, 26 from the submandibular glands, and nine from the palate) was studied. Seventeen aspirates (12.14%) were inadequate for evaluation; 25 were excluded because they came from branchial cysts. Of the remaining 123 samples from major and minor salivary glands, 107 (76.42%) were negative for malignancy and 16 (11.42%) were positive. Benign, non-neoplastic lesions were diagnosed in 53.27% of the aspirates and benign tumors in 46.72%. The cytodiagnoses were compared with the subsequent histological findings in ten of the 57 non-neoplastic lesions, 16 of the 50 benign neoplasms, and ten of the 16 malignant neoplasms. Despite problems of interpretation, in all cases where comparison was possible, the cytodiagnoses were confirmed by the histologic report. Fine-needle aspiration biopsy is superior to other investigations such as scialography, computed tomography (CT) and CT scialography, commonly used in salivary gland disease. As underlined by the results of this study, aspiration biopsy cytology will identify lesions that are not clinically obvious and provide the surgeon with the required preoperative information.