Value of shear wave elastography for diagnosis of primary prostate cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

Aim: To evaluate the difference in stiffness between prostate cancer (PCa) and benign tissue based on Young’s modulus determined by shear wave elastography (SWE). In addition, the diagnostic accuracy of SWE for the detection of PCa was evaluated comprehensively.

Material and methods: We conducted our systematic review and meta-analysis based on databases of PubMed, Embase and Web of Science. Relevant studies regarding to the diagnostic accuracy of SWE for detecting PCa compared to a reference standard of histopathology were included. The pooled weighted mean difference (WMD) of Young’s modulus, sensitivity (SEN) and specificity (SPE), and area under the curve (AUC) were calculated using Stata software.

Results: Based on our search strategy, 9 studies were ultimately included. The pooled results indicated that the mean Young’s modulus for detecting prostate cancer was significantly higher than that for prostate benign tissue (WMD = 38.01, 95%CI = 25.59–50.44, p<0.01). In addition, the pooled SEN was 0.86 (95%CI = 0.75–0.92), and the SPE was 0.89 (95%CI = 0.82–0.93). Moreover, an overall high degree of accuracy was indicated by the summary receiver operator characteristic curve with an AUC of 0.94 (95%CI = 0.91–0.95).

Conclusion: Our study indicated that SWE is a useful technique for differentiating PCa and benign tissue with a high degree of diagnostic accuracy.