The Value of Pre-Operative Fine-Needle Aspiration Biopsy in Planning the Management of Parotid Gland Tumours
In a review of 85 patients with palpable parotid tumours managed at the Kuwait Cancer Control Centre during a 5-year period, the value of fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) has been evaluated and compared with the final histopathological assessment. The results indicate that FNAB has good accuracy in discriminating between benign and malignant lesions; there was no false-positive diagnosis of malignancy, and the malignancy false-negative rate was 7%. In addition, there is a high correlation between FNAB and histopathology in the various subclassifications of malignant parotid tumours. Tuberculous lymphadenitis, which is common in this part of the world and where surgical exploration should be avoided, was accurately diagnosed in all cases. There was the same high accuracy rate with inflammatory lesions. It is therefore concluded that a thorough clinical examination along with FNAB is adequate for the diagnosis of parotid tumours.