Diagnostic accuracy of MRI for assessing lymphovascular space invasion in endometrial carcinoma: a meta-analysis

Abstract

Background The lymphovascular space invasion (LVSI) status of endometrial cancer (EC) has guiding significance in lymph node dissection. However, LVSI can only be obtained after surgery. Researchers have tried to extract the information of LVSI using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Purpose To evaluate the ability of preoperative MRI to predict the LVSI status of EC. Material and Methods A search was conducted by using the PubMed/MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library databases. Articles were included according to the criteria. Methodological quality was assessed using the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies 2. A bivariate random effects model was used to obtain pooled summary estimates, heterogeneity, and the area under the summary receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC). A subgroup analysis was performed to identify sources of heterogeneity. Results A total of nine articles (814 patients) were included. The risk of bias was low or unclear for most studies, and the applicability concerns were low or unclear for all studies. The summary AUC values as well as pooled sensitivity and specificity of LVSI status in EC were 0.82, 73%, and 77%, respectively. According to the subgroup analysis, radiomics/non-radiomics features, country/region, sample size, age, MR manufacturer, magnetic field, scores of risk bias, and scores of applicability concern may have caused heterogeneity. Conclusion Our meta-analysis showed that MRI has moderate diagnostic efficacy for LVSI status in EC. Large-sample, uniformly designed studies are needed to verify the true value of MRI in assessing LVSI.

An ultrasound-based radiomics model for survival prediction in patients with endometrial cancer

“…Radiomics is a methodology that converts digital medical images into high-dimensional mineable data [ 9 , 10 ]. According to previous studies, radiomics have been successfully shown to correlate with clinical outcomes and biological endpoints across a wide range of solid tumors [ 11 – 14 ], including EC [ 15 – 17 ]. However, those studies mainly focused on computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), but CT is limited by exposure to severe radiation and MRI is limited by its cost, long examination length, and long waiting lists at most centers.…”