Open Access

Diffusion‑weighted magnetic resonance imaging for the detection of metastatic lymph nodes in patients with lung cancer: A meta‑analysis

  • Authors:
    • Guang‑Xiang Chen
    • Mao‑Hua Wang
    • Ting Zheng
    • Guang‑Cai Tang
    • Fu‑Gang Han
    • Guo‑Jian Tu
  • View Affiliations

  • Published online on: February 6, 2017     https://doi.org/10.3892/mco.2017.1153
  • Pages: 344-354
  • Copyright: © Chen et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of Creative Commons Attribution License.

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Abstract

The aim of the present meta‑analysis was to evaluate the diagnostic value of diffusion‑weighted imaging (DWI) in differentiating metastatic from non‑metastatic lymph nodes in patients with lung cancer. A systematic literature search was performed to identify eligible original studies. The quality of included studies was assessed using ‘quality assessment of diagnostic accuracy studies’ (QUADAS‑2). Meta‑analysis was performed to pool sensitivity and specificity, to calculate the positive likelihood ratio (PLR), the negative likelihood ratio (NLR) and the diagnostic odds ratio (DOR), and to construct the summary receiver operating characteristic (SROC) curve. The homogeneity, threshold effect and publication bias were also investigated. Meta‑regression analysis was performed to identify the sources of heterogeneity. A total of 10 studies with 11 datasets met the inclusion criteria, which comprised 796 patients with a total of 2,433 lymph nodes. The pooled diagnostic sensitivity was 0.78 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.74‑0.81] and the pooled diagnostic specificity was 0.88 (95% CI: 0.86‑0.89). The PLR, NLR, and DOR were 7.11 (95% CI: 4.39‑11.52), 0.24 (95% CI: 0.18‑0.33), and 31.14 (95% CI: 17.32‑55.98), respectively. The area under the SROC curve was 0.90. No publication bias was found (bias=‑0.15, P=0.887). Notable heterogeneity was, however, observed, and patient selection, type of lung cancer, number of enrolled lymph nodes, reference standard, B‑value and the type of scanner were the sources of heterogeneity (P<0.05). No significant threshold effect was identified (P=0.537). In conclusion, DWI has been revealed to be a valuable magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) modality, with good diagnostic performance for distinguishing metastatic from non‑metastatic lymph nodes in patients with lung cancer. Therefore, DWI may be a useful supplement to conventional MRI techniques.
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March-2017
Volume 6 Issue 3

Print ISSN: 2049-9450
Online ISSN:2049-9469

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Spandidos Publications style
Chen GX, Wang MH, Zheng T, Tang GC, Han FG and Tu GJ: Diffusion‑weighted magnetic resonance imaging for the detection of metastatic lymph nodes in patients with lung cancer: A meta‑analysis. Mol Clin Oncol 6: 344-354, 2017
APA
Chen, G., Wang, M., Zheng, T., Tang, G., Han, F., & Tu, G. (2017). Diffusion‑weighted magnetic resonance imaging for the detection of metastatic lymph nodes in patients with lung cancer: A meta‑analysis. Molecular and Clinical Oncology, 6, 344-354. https://doi.org/10.3892/mco.2017.1153
MLA
Chen, G., Wang, M., Zheng, T., Tang, G., Han, F., Tu, G."Diffusion‑weighted magnetic resonance imaging for the detection of metastatic lymph nodes in patients with lung cancer: A meta‑analysis". Molecular and Clinical Oncology 6.3 (2017): 344-354.
Chicago
Chen, G., Wang, M., Zheng, T., Tang, G., Han, F., Tu, G."Diffusion‑weighted magnetic resonance imaging for the detection of metastatic lymph nodes in patients with lung cancer: A meta‑analysis". Molecular and Clinical Oncology 6, no. 3 (2017): 344-354. https://doi.org/10.3892/mco.2017.1153