FINE-NEEDLE ASPIRATION CYTOLOGY OF SUBMANDIBULAR-GLAND LESIONS

The usefulness of fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) in the diagno sis and treatment of submandibular gland lesions is not well known. Th e 210 FNACs taken from submandibular gland lesions at Turku University Central Hospital between 1984 and 1991 were reviewed. Of these FNACs, 78 samples from primary lesions were confirmed histologically. Within this subset 10 FNACs were taken from benign neoplasms, all of which w ere correctly classified (sensitivity 100 per cent; specificity 88 per cent). Only four of the 14 FNACs from malignant lesions were cytologi cally considered malignant (sensitivity 29 per cent). On the other han d, four FNACs raised a false suspicion of malignancy (specificity 6 pe r cent). Out of 54 FNACs from non-neoplastic lesions 43 were correct ( sensitivity 80 per cent; specificity 63 per cent). There were 104 pati ents (123 FNACs), who had not been operated on: the followup of these patients shows that in this subset of FNACs there were no false malign ant but probably one false benign finding (1 per cent). We conclude th at FNAC can offer valuable information about the type of the submandib ular gland lesion, but the decision of operative and other treatment s hould not be based solely on the result of FNAC.