Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology In The Evaluation Of Salivary Gland Swelling

Abstract

Background: Fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) is accurate, simple, quick and cost-effective procedure with minimal risk of complications. FNAC has been utilized as an excellent primary method of evaluating lesions of the salivary glands. Salivary gland tumors are rare and account for only 2-6.5 % of all the head and neck tumors, with approximately 64-80% occurring in the parotid glands. Material And Methods: An observational study was done on salivary gland lesions received from various departments over a period of one and half years (June 2016 to October 2019) at the pathology Department of AMC MET Medical College, L.G. Hospital, Maninagar, Ahmedabad. The observations were analyzed, classified and compared with other studies using appropriate statistical tests. Results: A total of 103 patients were accumulated, of which majority of patients were in the age group of 20-29 years (n=24, 23.3%) with slight male preponderance (M:F = 1.34). Parotid glands were maximally involved (n=52, 50.49%). Majority of the lesions belonged to the neoplastic category (n=66, 64.08%) and benign neoplastic lesions (n=56, 54.37%) were more common than malignant lesions. Neoplastic lesions showed Pleomorphic adenoma, Warthin’s tumor and Mucoepidermoid carcinoma as commonest lesions. Amongst the inflammatory lesions (n=26,25.24%), chronic sialadenitis (n=17, 16.50%) was the most common pathology. Conclusion: Salivary gland lesions are fairly common in occurrence and are amenable to FNAC analysis without any significant complications. Since FNAC is a low-cost procedure, it is preferred as the initial choice of investigation for salivary gland lesions. Neoplastic lesions were the most common variety of salivary gland swelling, with pleomorphic adenoma being the most common subtype.[Shah F Natl J Integr Res Med, 2020; 11(4):27-32]