Frontiers in Medicine (Oct 2024)

[18F]FDG PET/CT versus [18F]FDG PET/MRI in the diagnosis of lymph node metastasis in nasopharyngeal carcinoma: a systematic review and meta-analysis

  • Junfang Lei,
  • Xu Li,
  • Wenbo Xue,
  • Xinrui Qian,
  • Tong Wang,
  • Yunuo Xiang,
  • Yangchun Zhang,
  • Meixing Chen,
  • Zhaohui Liu

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3389/fmed.2024.1450526
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 11

Abstract

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PurposeThis meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the comparative diagnostic accuracy of [18F]FDG PET/CT versus [18F]FDG PET/MRI in identifying lymph node metastases in individuals with nasopharyngeal carcinoma.MethodsA comprehensive search was executed across PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science through September 2023 to identify studies evaluating the diagnostic precision of [18F]FDG PET/CT and [18F]FDG PET/MRI in detecting lymph node metastasis in nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Sensitivity and specificity were assessed through the DerSimonian-Laird method, incorporating the Freeman-Tukey transformation.ResultsThe meta-analysis encompassed nine articles, involving a total of 916 patients. The overall sensitivity and specificity of [18F]FDG PET were 0.95 (95%CI: 0.88–1.00) and 0.95 (95%CI: 0.84–1.00). The overall sensitivity of [18F]FDG PET/CT was 0.94 (95%CI, 0.85–0.99), whereas [18F]FDG PET/MRI achieved a sensitivity of 1.00 (95%CI, 0.94–1.00). The findings reveal that [18F]FDG PET/CT demonstrates comparable sensitivity to [18F]FDG PET/MRI (p = 0.20). The overall specificity of [18F]FDG PET/CT was 0.94 (95%CI, 0.82–1.00), whereas [18F]FDG PET/MRI exhibited a specificity of 0.98 (95%CI, 0.93–1.00). Additionally, the results suggest that [18F]FDG PET/CT offers similar specificity to [18F]FDG PET/MRI (p = 0.11).Conclusion[18F]FDG PET demonstrates high sensitivity and specificity in identifying lymph node metastasis in nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Furthermore, [18F]FDG PET/CT exhibits comparable sensitivity and specificity to [18F]FDG PET/MRI.Systematic review registrationhttps://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=496006, PROSPERO (CRD42024496006).

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