Fine-needle sampling of salivary gland lesions. III. Cytologic and histologic correlation of 75 cases of adenoid cystic carcinoma: review and experience at the Institut Curie with emphasis on cytologic pitfalls.

Fine-needle sampling (FNS) of 75 adenoid cystic carcinomas, including 44 primary tumors, 18 local recurrences, 10 lymph node, and 3 distant metastases, was performed in 66 patients. Concordant cytologic diagnoses were established in 68 tumors (90.7%), whereas 4 (5.4%) were classified as malignant (adenocarcinoma), 1 (1.3%) as suspicious, and 1 (1.3%) as pleomorphic adenoma. The material was insufficient for cytologic evaluation in 1 (1.3%) tumor. Adenoid cystic carcinoma is, in our opinion, easy to diagnose using the FNS technique.