Performance of F-18 FDG PET/CT for predicting malignant potential of gastrointestinal stromal tumors: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: We aimed to explore the role of the diagnostic accuracy of F-18 fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (F-18 FDG PET) or positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) for prediction of malignant potential of gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) through a systematic review and meta-analysis.

METHODS: The MEDLINE, Embase, and Cochrane Library database, from the earliest available date of indexing through May 31, 2017, were searched for studies evaluating the diagnostic performance of F-18 FDG PET or PET/CT for prediction of malignant potential of GIST. We determined the sensitivities and specificities across studies, calculated positive and negative likelihood ratios (LR+ and LR-), and constructed summary receiver operating characteristic curves.

RESULTS: Across seven studies (188 patients), the pooled sensitivity for F-18 FDG PET or PET/CT was 0.88 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.80-0.94) without heterogeneity (χ2  = 6.15, P = 0.72) and a pooled specificity of 0.88 (95% CI: 0.75-0.94) with heterogeneity (χ2  = 23.2, P = 0.01). LR syntheses gave an overall LR+ of 7.2 (95% CI: 3.3-15.3) and LR- of 0.13 (95% CI: 0.07-0.24). The pooled diagnostic odds ratio was 54 (95% CI: 16-181).

CONCLUSION: F-18 FDG PET or PET/CT demonstrated good sensitivity and specificity for the prediction of malignant potential of GIST. At present, the literature regarding the use of F-18 FDG PET or PET/CT for the prediction of malignant potential of GIST remains still limited; thus, further large multicenter studies would be necessary to substantiate the diagnostic accuracy of F-18 FDG PET or PET/CT prediction of malignant potential of GIST.