title: Value of the cytological diagnosis in the treatment of parotid tumors.
abstract: 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.
  
  
  METHODS
  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.
  
  
  METHODS
  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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Assistance Publique Hôitaux de Paris, Tenon Hospital, Paris, France. alice.jafari@tnn.aphp.fr
authors.forename: Alice
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jafari
authors.forename: Benedicte
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Royer
authors.forename: Marine
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lefevre
authors.forename: Pascal
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Corlieu
authors.forename: Sophie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Périé
authors.forename: Jean Lacau
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: St Guily
mesh_terms: D000235:Adenolymphoma / Q000473:pathology; D008949:Adenoma, Pleomorphic / Q000473:pathology*; D044963:Biopsy, Fine-Needle; D006801:Humans; D010307:Parotid Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity