18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography-computed tomography as a diagnostic tool in patients with cervical nodal metastases of unknown primary site: A meta-analysis

Abstract Background We performed a meta-analysis to evaluate the value of 18 F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography-computed tomography ( 18 FDG PET-CT) for the detection of primary sites in patients with cervical nodal metastases of unknown origin. Methods Studies were systematically searched for relevant PET-CT original articles in the MEDLINE and EMBASE databases. We calculated the primary tumor detection rate, sensitivity, specificity, and likelihood ratios for 18 FDG PET-CT. We also constructed the hierarchic summary receiver operating characteristic curve for 18 FDG PET-CT. Results This present study analyzed a total of 7 selected studies (246 patients). The primary tumor detection rate, sensitivity and specificity of PET-CT were 0.44 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.31–0.58), 0.97 (95% CI = 0.63–0.99), and 0.68 (95% CI = 0.49–0.83). Area under the curve was 0.83 (95% CI = 0.80–0.86). Conclusions 18 FDG PET-CT has high sensitivity and low specificity for the detection of primary sites in patients with cervical nodal metastases of unknown origin.