Magnetic resonance spectroscopy imaging in diagnosis of suspicious prostate cancer: A meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: This meta-analysis was conducted to assess the value of magnetic resonance spectroscopy imaging (MRSI) in the diagnosis of suspected prostate cancer (PC). METHODS: We identified all the relevant papers from the EMBASE, PubMed, EBSCO, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library databases and screened the reference lists. The quality assessment of diagnostic accuracy studies-version 2 tool was used to assess the study quality. Publication bias was analyzed using Deeks' funnel plot asymmetry test. We calculated the pooled sensitivities, specificities, positive likelihood ratios, negative likelihood ratios, diagnostic odds ratio (DOR), and 95% confidence intervals. The results were evaluated by summary receiver-operating characteristic curves (SROCs). Ultimately, a univariable meta-regression and subgroup analysis, Fagan plot, and likelihood matrix were used to analyze this review. RESULTS: A total of 19 articles, which were based on patient-level analysis of PC, were included. These studies had a pooled sensitivity, specificity, DOR, and an area under the SROC of 0.86, 0.78, 22, and 0.89, respectively, by patient-level analysis. From the likelihood matrix, the summary negative likelihood ratio and positive likelihood ratio for MRSI diagnosis of PC were concentrated on the right lower quadrant, which neither confirmed nor excluded the diagnosis of cancer. CONCLUSION: MRSI has a relative application value in the diagnosis of cases of suspected PC. While MRSI is still required for diagnosis along with other clinical data and comprehensive analysis.

Prognostic value of the maximum standardized uptake value of pre-treatment primary lesions in small-cell lung cancer on 18F-FDG PET/CT: a meta-analysis.

Background 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (18F-FDG-PET/CT) has been widely used in clinical practice. However, the prognostic value of the pre-treatment standardized uptake value (SUV) for patients with small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) remains controversial. Purpose To investigate the prognostic role of pre-treatment 18F-FDG PET on SCLC patients by meta-analysis. Material and Methods Extensive literature searches of the PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library databases were conducted to identify literature published until 5 May 2017. Comparative analyses of the pooled hazard ratios (HRs) for event-free survival (EFS) and overall survival (OS) were performed to assess their correlations with the pre-treatment maximum SUV (SUVmax). Either the fixed- or the random-effects model was adopted, depending on the heterogeneity observed across the studies. Subgroup analyses were performed to assess the robustness of the results. Results Twelve studies with 1062 patients were included. The pooled HR for OS of 11 studies was 1.13 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.05-1.22; P = 0.001; I2 = 0%) and the pooled HR for EFS of nine studies was 1.09 (95% CI = 1.02-1.17; P = 0.014; I2 = 0%), indicating that patients with high SUVs may have poorer prognoses. Begg's test detected no significant publication bias. The prognostic role of the SUVmax remained similar in the subgroup analyses. Conclusion Our meta-analysis indicated that the pre-treatment SUVmax of primary lesions can be an important prognostic factor for OS and EFS in patients with SCLC. A high SUVmax may indicate poorer prognosis.

Prognostic value of 18F-FDG-PET/CT parameters in patients with pancreatic carcinoma: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: The identification of pancreatic carcinoma (PC) patients with poor prognosis is a priority in clinical oncology because of their high 5-year mortality. However, the prognostic value of pretreatment F-fluorodeoxyglucose (F-FDG)- positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) parameters in PC patients is controversial and no consensus exists as to its predictive capability. This meta-analysis was performed to comprehensively explore the prognostic significance of F-FDG-PET/CT parameters in patients with pancreatic carcinoma. METHODS: Extensive literature searches of the PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library databases were conducted to identify literature published until March 5, 2017. Comparative analyses of the pooled hazard ratios (HRs) for event-free survival (EFS) and overall survival (OS) were performed to assess their correlations with pretreatment maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax), metabolic tumor volume (MTV), and total lesion glycolysis (TLG). Either the fixed- or the random-effects model was adopted, depending on the heterogeneity observed across studies. Subgroup and sensitivity analyses were performed to assess the robustness of the results. RESULTS: Sixteen studies including 1146 patients were identified. The pooled HRs for the probability of EFS were 1.90 (95% confidential interval (CI): 1.48-2.45) for SUVmax, 1.76 (95% CI: 1.20-2.58) for MTV, and 1.81 (95% CI: 1.27-2.58) for TLG. The pooled HRs for the probability of OS were 1.21 (95% CI: 1.12-1.31) for SUVmax, 1.56 (95% CI: 1.13-2.16) for MTV, and 1.70 (95% CI: 1.25-2.30) for TLG. A slight publication bias was detected using Begg test. After adjustment using the trim and fill procedure, the corrected HRs were not significantly different. The results of the subgroup analyses by SUVmax, MTV, and TLG showed that these factors may have similar prognostic significance. CONCLUSION: F-FDG-PET/CT parameters, such as SUVmax, MTV, and TLG, may be significant prognostic factors in patients with pancreatic carcinoma. F-FDG-PET/CT imaging could be a promising tool to provide prognostic information for these patients.

Ultrasound, computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging - which is preferred for acute appendicitis in children? A Meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: There is no established consensus about the relative accuracies of US, CT and MRI in childhood appendicitis. OBJECTIVE: To compare, through meta-analysis, the accuracies of US, CT and MRI for clinically suspected acute appendicitis in children. MATERIALS AND METHODS: PubMed, Embase, Web of Science and the Cochrane Library were searched. After study selection, data extraction and quality assessment, the sensitivity, specificity and the area under the curve of summary receiver operating characteristic were calculated and compared. RESULTS: Twenty-seven articles including 29 studies met the inclusion criteria, including 19 studies (9,170 patients) of US, 6 studies (928 patients) of CT and 4 studies (990 patients) of MRI. The analysis showed that the area under the receiver operator characteristics curve of MRI (0.995) was a little higher than that of US (0.987) and CT (0.982; P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: US, CT and MRI have high diagnostic accuracies of clinically suspected acute appendicitis in children overall with no significant difference.