Is fine-needle aspiration a reliable tool in the diagnosis of malignant salivary gland tumors?

PurposeThe purpose of the present study was to establish the reliability of fine needle aspiration (FNA) in the diagnosis of malignant salivary gland tumors in our population and to compare our results with those of other authors.Material and methodsThis was a retrospective study of clinical data from 172 patients, 153 parotid tumors and 19 submandibular tumors who underwent preoperative FNA between January 2004 and December 2013. Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values of FNA for the preoperative diagnosis of malignancy were analyzed.ResultsFor the diagnosis of malignancy an S value of 60% was obtained, which means that 40% of malignant tumors were not diagnosed by FNA. Besides an E value of 97.5% was obtained, thus indicating that FNA was negative for malignancy in up to 97.5% of all benign neoplasms. According to predictive values, we observe that FNA hit in 83.3% cases given as malignant and in 92% of cases giving as benign (PPV = 83,3%; NPV = 92%).ConclusionWith a scarce 60% sensitivity value in our series, fine needle aspiration has evident limitations for diagnosis of malignancy in major salivary gland neoplasms. Being highly conditioned by the staff and the conditions in which it is performed, FNA is a complementary test that helps the preoperative diagnosis of the major salivary glands with radiological tests, medical history and physical examination, but that alone it is not defining of malignancy.