The application value of contrast-enhanced computed tomography in cervical lymph node metastasis of oral carcinomas: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Oral carcinomas is a concerning condition around the world. Globally, it is the 11th most common form of cancer. Over 90% of oral carcinomas are squamous cell carcinomas. Smoking, tobacco intake, smokeless tobacco (snuff or chewing tobacco), excessive sunlight exposure, alcohol, betel nut consumption, human papillomavirus, and reverse end smoking are the most common causes of oral carcinomas. Oral carcinomas are prone to neck lymph mode metastasis, which has an impact on the prognosis of patients and the five-year survival rate. Thus, precise lymph node metastasis and staging of oral carcinomas are critical. With the development of nuclear medicine and molecular imaging, an increasing number of studies have found that Contrast-Enhanced Computed Tomography (CECT) has high diagnostic value for tumors. METHODS AND ANALYSES: The reviewers will conduct a thorough search for related literature in 6 online databases, including The Cochrane Library, PubMed, WanFang database, Web of Science, Chinese biomedical literature database, and the China National Knowledge Infrastructure. The authors will obtain full text of studies deemed to be eligible to extract and synthesize data. The present systematic review will be reported in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Project (PRISMA-P) of the 2015 System Review and Meta-Analysis Protocol. RESULTS: The present systematic analysis will pool the results of individual studies to assess the value of CECT in cervical lymph node metastasis of oral carcinomas. CONCLUSION: The results in the proposed research will determine whether CECT is an efficient diagnostic method for cervical lymph node metastasis of oral carcinomas. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This study will utilize secondary data from pre-published studies. Therefore, an ethical clearance is not required. The research outcomes shall be disseminated in conference reports and peer-reviewed publications. OSF REGISTRATION NUMBER: Oct 13, 2021.osf.io/k5nr9. (https://osf.io/k5nr9/).