Fine-needle aspiration biopsy of salivary gland lesions

Context: Fine-needle aspiration (FNA) is a well-established diagnostic approach for salivary gland lesions; however, lack of a standard system of terminology for classification of salivary gland neoplasms collected by FNA and the relatively high frequency of uncertainty of diagnosis are likely partly responsible for current confusion in the interpretation of these FNA samples. Objective: To propose a novel classification system for reporting salivary gland FNA samples and summarize recent progress in application of molecular and immunohistochemical markers in selected salivary gland neoplasms. Data Sources: Literature review and authors' personal practice experience. Conclusions: The new classification system provides a more succinct, standardized interpretation of results and will ultimately assist in communication between clinicians, clinical decision making, and preoperative patient counseling. Impressive advances have been made in recent years in the understanding of molecular pathogenesis of salivary gland tumors. With the newly acquired diagnostic tools, significant improvement in diagnostic accuracy of salivary gland FNA can certainly be expected.