Objective: A cytological diagnosis is frequently used in the management of parotid tumor to distinguish benign from malignant tumors before surgery. The aim of this study was to evaluate the value of the cytological diagnosis in parotid tumors.
Study design: Fine-needle aspiration cytology was performed in 110 patients undergoing a parotidectomy. The results were compared with the definitive histopathological findings, which are considered the standard diagnostic reference for comparative analysis.
Setting: University hospital.
Results: Correlation with histopathological results was observed in 83 (82.1%) cases. Discordance was observed in eight (8.2%) cases. The sensitivity and the specificity of the cytological diagnosis in the detection of malignant tumors were 67 and 96 percent, respectively.
Conclusions: The cytological diagnosis performed in parotid tumors permits differentiation of a benign from a malignant tumor in the majority of cases; however, it underestimates the diagnosis of malignant tumors.