Abstract
We performed a study of 33 patients with tumors of the submandibular glands who underwent surgical treatment during the 4-year period between September 2005 and August 2009, in order to examine the age distribution, tumor size, histopathological classification, disease duration and the usefulness of fine-needle aspiration cytology in these patients.
Among the 26 patients with benign tumors, most (20 patients) had pleomorphic adenoma. Malignant tumor, adenocarcinoma, adenoid cystic carcinoma, cancer in pleomorphic adenoma, salivary duct cancer, mucoepidermoid tumor, squamous cancer, and other types of cancer were confirmed in one each of 7 patients. Among these patients, malignant tumors accounted for 21.2% of all tumors. In regard to the age distribution, the incidence of malignant tumors was higher in elderly female patients, while no difference in the tumor size or the disease duration was observed among the patients with either benign or malignant tumors. The accuracy, sensitivity and specificity of perioperative fine-needle aspiration cytology were 92.3%, 66.7%, and 100%, respectively.
Although the usefulness of fine-needle aspiration cytology was confirmed, the false-negative rate was 33.3%. Thus, careful consideration must be given during consultation, to obtain informed consent for this examination.
