Magnetic resonance elastography can predict the development of hepatocellular carcinoma: a meta-analysis and systematic review

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has become the third leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide, and its incidence rate is increasing. Magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) can indirectly realize the accurate non-invasive evaluation of liver reserve function in HCC patients. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of MRE in the diagnosis of HCC patients.

Methods: We searched globally-recognized electronic databases, such as PubMed, EMBASE, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and Cochrane Central, for relevant literature on MRE prediction of HCC. The diagnostic performance of all studies was quantitatively summarized using a bivariate random effects model including heterogeneity analysis, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, and bias determination.

Results: The diagnostic accuracy of MRE for HCC was based on 1,735 patients. The sensitivity (31-100%) was lower than the specificity (81-94%). The overall sensitivity was 64% [95% confidence interval (CI): 46-79%; I²=92.44%], and the overall specificity was 85% (95% CI: 82-88%; I²=67.86%). Limited publication bias was observed in this study, and the sensitivity analysis showed that the study was robust.

Discussion: The results of our meta-analysis show that MRE has moderate sensitivity and excellent specificity in the detection of HCC. MRE can be an effective diagnostic tool for HCC and can provide strong support for the selection of clinical treatment methods and prognostic judgment.