Diagnostic value of using (18)F-FDG PET and PET/CT in immunocompetent patients with primary central nervous system lymphoma: A systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose ((18)F-FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) and PET/CT have become two of the most powerful tools for malignant lymphoma exploration, but their diagnostic role in primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) is still disputed. The purpose of our study is to identify the usefulness of (18)F-FDG PET and PET/CT for detecting PCNSL. RESULTS: A total of 129 patients, obtained from eight eligible studies, were included for this systematic review and meta-analysis. The performance of (18)F-FDG PET and PET/CT for diagnosing PCNSL were as follows: the pooled sensitivity was 0.88 (95% CI: 0.80–0.94), specificity was 0.86 (95% CI: 0.73–0.94), positive likelihood ratio (PLR) was 3.99 (95% CI: 2.31–6.90), negative likelihood ratio (NLR) was 0.11 (95% CI: 0.04-0.32), and diagnostic odds ratio (DOR) was 33.40 (95% CI: 10.40–107.3). In addition, the area under the curve (AUC) and Q index were 0.9192 and 0.8525, respectively. MATERIALS AND METHODS: PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase and Cochrane Library were systematically searched for potential publications (last updated on July 16th, 2016). Reference lists of included articles were also checked. Original articles that reported data on patients who were suspected of having PCNSL were considered suitable for inclusion. The sensitivities and specificities of (18)F-FDG PET and PET/CT in each study were evaluated. The Stata software and Meta-Disc software were employed in the process of data analysis. CONCLUSIONS: (18)F-FDG PET and PET/CT showed considerable accuracy in identifying PCNSL in immunocompetent patients and could be a valuable radiological diagnostic tool for PCNSL.