MicroRNAs in sputum specimen as noninvasive biomarkers for the diagnosis of nonsmall cell lung cancer: An updated meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is a serious leading cause of death worldwide. Recently, multiple researches have identified that microRNA (miRNA) in sputum could be a useful tool for NSCLC diagnosis. The objective of this study was to assess whether aberrant miRNA expression could be regarded as a useful biomarker in sputum specimen for the diagnosis of NSCLC. METHODS: Eligible studies were searched in PubMed, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang, and VIP databases up to June 2018. We calculated the pooled sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio (PLR), negative likelihood ratio (NLR), diagnostic odds ratio (DOR), and area under the curve (AUC) to investigate the diagnostic value of miRNA in sputum for NSCLC. MetaDisc1.4 and STATA12.0 were used to analyze the retrieved data. RESULTS: Finally, a total of 14 articles were included in this meta-analysis involving 1009 NSCLC patients and 1006 controls. The results were as followed: the pooled sensitivity, specificity, PLR, NLR, DOR, were 0.75 (95%CI:0.72–0.78), 0.88 (95%CI:0.86–0.90), 5.70 (95%CI:4.82–6.75), 0.30 (95%CI:0.26–0.34), 22.43 (95%CI:17.48–28.79), respectively. The AUC of overall summary receiver operator characteristic curve (SROC) was 0.8917. CONCLUSION: Our comprehensive analysis indicated that miRNAs in sputum specimen may be noninvasive diagnostic biomarkers for NSCLC. However, much more studies should be conducted before clinical application.