Layfield, Lester James

BackgroundFine needle aspiration (FNA) is commonly used for the preoperative evaluation of salivary gland tumors. Tumor grade is a key factor influencing clinical management of salivary gland carcinomas (SGCs). To assess the ability to grade nonbasaloid SGCs in FNA specimens, an international panel of cytopathologists convened to review and score SGC cases.MethodsThe study cohort included 61 cases of primary SGC from the pathology archives of 3 tertiary medical centers. Cases from 2005 to 2016 were selected, scanned, and digitized. Nineteen cytopathologists blinded to the histologic diagnosis reviewed the digitized cytology slides and graded them as low, high, or indeterminate. The panelists' results were then compared to the tumor grades based on histopathologic examination of the corresponding resection specimens.ResultsAll but 2 of the 19 (89.5%) expert panelists review more than 20 salivary gland FNAs per year; 16 (84.2%) of the panelists work at academic medical centers, and 13 (68.4%) have more than 10 years' experience. Participants had an overall accuracy of 89.4% in the grading of SGC cases, with 90.2% and 88.3% for low‐ and high‐grade SGC, respectively. Acinic cell carcinoma and mucoepidermoid carcinoma had the highest degree of accuracy, while epithelial‐myoepithelial carcinoma and salivary duct carcinoma had the lowest degree of accuracy. As expected, the intermediate‐grade SGC cases showed the greatest variability (high‐grade, 42.1%; low‐grade, 37.5%, indeterminate, 20.4%).ConclusionThis study confirms the high accuracy of cytomorphologic grading of primary SGC by FNA as low‐ or high‐grade. However, caution should be exercised when a grade cannot be confidently assigned.

BackgroundThe Papanicolaou Society of Cytopathology has developed a set of guidelines for respiratory cytology including indications for cytologic testing, techniques for cytologic sampling, terminology and nomenclature for respiratory diseases, ancillary testing, and recommendations for postcytologic diagnosis follow‐up and management.MethodsAll documents are based on the expertise of the authors, an extensive literature review and discussions of the draft documents at national and international meetings over a 12‐month period. This document selectively presents the results of these discussions and reports a proposed standardized terminology scheme for respiratory cytology that correlates cytologic diagnosis with biologic behavior and patient management.ResultsThe classification and terminology scheme recommends a six‐tiered system composed of: nondiagnostic, negative, atypical, neoplastic (benign and neoplasms of low malignant potential), suspicious, and positive for malignancy.ConclusionThe scheme recommends statements on specimen adequacy followed by the major classification category and then a subclassification and/or comments section. Each of the six main diagnostic categories is associated with an estimated risk of malignancy. Subsequent documents will propose ancillary testing recommendations, techniques for cytologic sampling, indications for cytologic study and postcytologic diagnosis management and follow‐up recommendations. Diagn. Cytopathol. 2016;44:399–409. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.