Diagnostic accuracy of the UBC(®) Rapid Test for bladder cancer: A meta-analysis

Bladder cancer is one of the most common cancer types globally. The UBC(®) Rapid Test is a potential novel diagnostic method for bladder cancer, but studies into its accuracy have produced inconsistent results. Thus, the present meta-analysis was conducted in order to determine the overall accuracy of the UBC(®) Rapid Test in detecting bladder cancer. A comprehensive literature search was conducted using MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Chinese WanFang and the China National Knowledge Infrastructure databases for relevant studies. Quality assessment of diagnostic accuracy studies 2 was used to assess the quality of each included study. The diagnostic accuracy of the UBC(®) Rapid Test was evaluated by pooled sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio (PLR), negative likelihood ratio (NLR), diagnostic odds ratio (DOR) and the area under the curve (AUC). In addition, Deeks' funnel plot was used to evaluate potential publication bias. Eight studies were included in the quantitative meta-analysis. The results were as follows: Sensitivity 0.59 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.55–0.62], specificity 0.76 (95% CI, 0.72–0.80), PLR 2.55 (95% CI, 1.75–3.70), NLR 0.56 (95% CI, 0.46–0.67), DOR 4.88 (95% CI, 2.82–8.45) and AUC 0.70 (95% CI, 0.67–0.74). According to the present results, the UBC(®) rapid test is highly accurate in the diagnosis of bladder cancer, however, further studies with better-designed and larger samples are required in order to support the results of the present study.