The Role of Ultrasound in the Evaluation of Inguinal Lymph Nodes in Patients with Vulvar Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Objective. To determine the efficacy of ultrasound in assessing the inguinal lymph nodes in patients with vulvar cancer. Methods. A systematic review of published research up to October 2020 that compares the results of ultrasound to determine groin node status with histology was conducted. All stud...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Cancers 2022-06, Vol.14 (13), p.3082
Main Authors: Verri, Debora, Moro, Francesca, Fragomeni, Simona Maria, Zaçe, Drieda, Bove, Sonia, Pozzati, Federica, Gui, Benedetta, Scambia, Giovanni, Testa, Antonia Carla, Garganese, Giorgia
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biopsy
Breast cancer
Computed tomography
Genital cancers
Histology
Lymph nodes
Lymphatic system
Magnetic resonance imaging
Medical prognosis
Melanoma
Meta-analysis
Metastases
Metastasis
Patients
Risk assessment
Skin cancer
Surgery
Systematic Review
Tomography
Tumors
Ultrasonic imaging
Ultrasound
Womens health
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Summary:Objective. To determine the efficacy of ultrasound in assessing the inguinal lymph nodes in patients with vulvar cancer. Methods. A systematic review of published research up to October 2020 that compares the results of ultrasound to determine groin node status with histology was conducted. All study types that reported primary data on the role of ultrasound in the evaluation of groin lymph nodes in vulvar cancer were included in the systematic review. Data retrieved from the included studies were pooled in random-effects meta-analyses. Results. After the screening and selection process, eight articles were deemed pertinent for inclusion in the systematic review and meta-analysis. The random-effects model showed a pooled Se of 0.85 (95% CI: 0.81–0.89), Sp of 0.86 (95% CI: 0.81–0.91), PPV of 0.65 (95% CI: 0.54–0.79) and NPV of 0.92 (95% CI: 0.91–0.94). There was a pooled LR+ and LR− of 6.44 (95% CI: 3.72–11.4) and 0.20 (95% CI: 0.14–0.27), respectively. The pooled accuracy was 0.85 (95% CI: 0.80–0.91). Conclusions. Although the studies had small sample sizes, this review represents the best summary of the data so far. Ultrasound has revealed high sensitivity and high negative predictive value in the assessment of nodal status in vulvar cancer.
ISSN:2072-6694
2072-6694
DOI:10.3390/cancers14133082