Parotid Gland Tumours: Our Experience

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Head and Neck Surgery
• Diagnostic Cytopathology

Background:

• Salivary gland tumors represent 3-10% of head and neck neoplasms.
• Parotid gland tumors are the most frequent, accounting for 62% of cases.
• Clinical presentation of benign and malignant salivary tumors often overlap, necessitating accurate diagnosis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To retrospectively analyze parotid tumors.
• To determine demographic distribution and evaluate cytological and histopathological findings.
• To correlate pre-operative fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) with post-operative histopathology.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective observational study of 31 patients with parotid swelling.
• Correlation of pre-operative FNAC findings with post-operative histopathological results.
• Surgical management decisions based on the diagnosed nature of the tumor.

Main Results:

• High concordance between FNAC and histopathology (27 out of 31 cases).
• FNAC sensitivity of 81.81%, specificity of 94.73%, and accuracy of 90% for parotid tumors.
• FNAC proved effective in differentiating benign from malignant parotid neoplasms.

Conclusions:

• FNAC is a valuable, minimally invasive, and cost-effective first-line investigation for parotid tumors.
• Accurate pre-operative diagnosis via FNAC facilitates appropriate surgical planning.
• FNAC significantly aids in distinguishing benign from malignant parotid gland tumors.