The diagnostic role of DNA methylation in sporadic endometrial cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Although increasing numbers of methylated genes have been identified as biomarkers for endometrial cancer, the results have been inconsistent. We therefore carried out a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of methylated genes as markers for sporadic endometrial cancer.

Results: A total of 22 studies including 1930 participants (sporadic endometrial cancer patients and normal individuals) met our eligibility criteria. The pooled sensitivity and specificity were 0.93 (95% confidence interval: 0.91-0.94) and 0.48 (95% confidence interval: 0.46-0.50), respectively. The area under the summary receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.8834. The presence of DNA methylation was significantly associated with lymph node metastasis of endometrial cancer (pooled odds ratio: 0.28, 95% confidence interval: 0.15-0.52, p < 0.001).

Materials and Methods: We searched the relevant literature systematically using the PubMed and Web of Science databases up to April 2017. Diagnostic accuracy variables were pooled and analyzed using Meta-DiSc software. Sensitivity analysis and publication bias were evaluated using Review Manager.

Conclusions: This meta-analysis suggests that the detection of DNA methylation is associated with lymph node metastasis, with high sensitivity but relatively low specificity for the diagnosis of sporadic endometrial cancer.