The authors systematically reviewed the literature of the last decade on the role of
cytology in the evaluation of musculoskeletal neoplasms, and its diagnostic accuracy. A
search was carried out on the databases PubMed, MEDLINE, LILACS and SciELO, selecting
articles in which cytology was used in the diagnosis of musculoskeletal neoplasms. Limits
were used for English, Spanish and Portuguese, and only articles published since 2000 were
selected. 757 articles were retrieved, 24 of which were selected based on criteria of
inclusion and exclusion. It was concluded that although promising in the assessment of
musculoskeletal neoplasms, cytology obtained by fine needle aspiration is less accurate
and reliable than histological evaluation of such lesions.