Detection of intermediate- and high-risk prostate cancer with biparametric magnetic resonance imaging: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluated the diagnostic performance of biparametric magnetic resonance imaging (bpMRI) for the detection of intermediate- and high-risk prostate cancer (IHPC). METHODS: Two medical databases (PubMed and Web of Science) were systematically reviewed by 2 independent researchers. Studies published before March 15, 2022, that used bpMRI (i.e., T2-weighted images combined with diffusion-weighted imaging) to detect prostate cancer (PCa) were included. The results of prostatectomy or prostate biopsy were the reference standards for the studies. The Quality Assessment of Diagnosis Accuracy Studies 2 tool was used to assess the quality of the included studies. Data on true- and false-positive and -negative results were extracted to complete 2×2 contingency tables, and the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value were calculated for each study. Summary receiver operating characteristic (SROC) plots were constructed using these results. RESULTS: In all, 16 studies (6,174 patients) that used Prostate Imaging Reporting and Data System version 2 or other scoring systems, such as Likert, SPL and Questionnaire were included. Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative likelihood ratios, and the diagnosis odds ratio of bpMRI in the detection of IHPC were 0.91 (95% CI: 0.87–0.93), 0.67 (95% CI: 0.58–0.76), 2.8 (95% CI: 2.2–3.6), 0.14 (95% CI: 0.11–0.18), and 20 (95% CI: 15–27), respectively, with an area under the SROC curve of 0.90 (95% CI: 0.87–0.92). There was considerable heterogeneity between the studies. CONCLUSIONS: bpMRI exhibited a high negative predictive value and accuracy in the diagnosis of IHPC, and may be valuable for detecting PCa with poor prognosis. However, the bpMRI protocol needs to be standardized further to improve its wider applicability.