Abstract
It is important to define the accuracy of fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) in the diagnosis of Warthin tumor (WT). This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluated the accuracy of FNAC in the diagnosis of WT in the parotid gland and WT growth rate. For determination of FNAC accuracy, 17 studies, encompassing 1710 cases, were included. Pulled random model estimates of sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV were 93.7% (95%CI: 92.1, 95.3), 97.9% (95%CI: 97, 98.9), 93.3% (95%CI: 91.5, 95.1), and 97.4% (95%CI: 96.4, 98.4), respectively. FNAC is highly reliable for the diagnosis of WT of the parotid. The high PPV value suggests that patients with a cytological diagnosis of WT of the parotid may be assigned to active surveillance.
