| Abstract: |
Fine-needle aspiration (FNA) is widely accepted as an efficient first-line diagnostic test for the management of salivary gland lesions. It can differentiate between neoplastic and non-neoplastic salivary gland lesions, and in cases of a neoplasm, FNA can diagnose a majority of common benign tumors. In most cases, FNA can also differentiate between low-and high-grade carcinomas. The reported overall sensitivity and specificity of salivary gland FNA in most series ranges from 86 to 100% and 90 to 100%, respectively. The diagnostic challenges encountered in the evaluation of salivary gland FNA specimens are due to limited sampling, morphologic diversity, and cytomorphologic overlap between non-neoplastic and neoplastic lesions. The Milan System for Reporting Salivary Gland Cytopathology (MSRSGC) has been shown to improve the overall effectiveness of salivary gland FNA leading to improved patient care. The novel approach of the MSRSGC is that it emphasizes risk stratification rather than specific diagnoses and provides an associated risk of malignancy (ROM) for each ascending risk category rather than a binary benign or malignant assessment for each individual case. © American Society of Cytopathology 2023. |
