CT characteristics of non-small cell lung cancer with epidermal growth factor receptor mutation: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: To systematically investigate the relationship between CT morphological features and the presence of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). METHODS: All studies about the CT morphological features of NSCLC with EGFR mutations published between January 1, 2000 and March 15, 2015 were searched in the PubMed and EMBASE databases. Qualified studies were selected according to inclusion criteria. The frequency of EGFR mutations and CT features of ground-glass opacity (GGO) content, tumor size, cavitation, air-bronchogram, lobulation, and spiculation were extracted. The relationship between EGFR mutations and each of these CT features was tested based upon the weighted mean difference or inverse variance in the form of an odds ratio at a 95% confidence interval using Forest Plots. The publication bias was examined using Egger’s test. RESULTS: A total of 13 studies, consisting of 2146 NSCLC patients, were included, and 51.12% (1097/2146) of patients had EGFR mutations. The EGFR mutations were present in NSCLC with part-solid GGO in contrast to nonsolid GGO (OR = 0.49, 95% CI = 0.25–0.96, P = 0.04). Other CT features such as tumor size, cavitation, air-bronchogram, lobulation and spiculation did not demonstrate statistically significant correlation with EGFR mutations individually (P = 0.91; 0.67; 0.12; 0.45; and 0.36, respectively). No publication bias among the selected studies was noted in this meta-analysis (Egger’s tests, P > 0.05 for all). CONCLUSION: This meta-analysis demonstrated that NSCLC with CT morphological features of part-solid GGO tended to be EGFR mutated, which might provide an important clue for the correct selection of patients treated with molecular targeted therapies. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12880-016-0175-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.