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PloS One 2020The emergence of endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS) changed the approach to staging lung cancer. As a new method being incorporated, the use of EBUS may lead to a shift in...
Endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration versus mediastinoscopy for mediastinal staging of lung cancer: A systematic review of economic evaluation studies.
INTRODUCTION
The emergence of endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS) changed the approach to staging lung cancer. As a new method being incorporated, the use of EBUS may lead to a shift in clinical and costs outcomes.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this systematic review is to gather information to better understand the economic impact of implementing EBUS.
METHODS
This review is reported according to the PRISMA statement and registered on PROSPERO (CRD42019107901). Search keywords were elaborated considering descriptors of terms related to the disease (lung cancer / mediastinal staging of lung cancer) and the technologies of interest (EBUS and mediastinoscopy) combined with a specific economic filter. The literature search was performed in MEDLINE, EMBASE, LILACS, Cochrane Library of Trials, Web of Science, Scopus and National Health System Economic Evaluation Database (NHS EED) of the Center for Reviews and Dissemination (CRD). Screening, selection of articles, data extraction and quality assessment were carried out by two reviewers.
RESULTS
Seven hundred and seventy publications were identified through the database searches. Eight articles were included in this review. All publications are full economic evaluation studies, one cost-effectiveness, three cost-utility, and four cost-minimization analyses. The costs of strategies using EBUS-TBNA were lower than the ones using mediastinoscopy in all studies analyzed. Two of the best quality scored studies demonstrate that the mediastinoscopy strategy is dominated by the EBUS-TBNA strategy.
CONCLUSION
Information gathered in the eight studies of this systematic review suggest that EBUS is cost-effective compared to mediastinoscopy for mediastinal staging of lung cancer.
Topics: Bronchoscopy; Cost-Benefit Analysis; Endoscopic Ultrasound-Guided Fine Needle Aspiration; Female; Humans; Image-Guided Biopsy; Lung Neoplasms; Male; Mediastinoscopy; Mediastinum; Neoplasm Staging
PubMed: 32603376
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0235479 -
The Cochrane Database of Systematic... Nov 2014A major determinant of treatment offered to patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is their intrathoracic (mediastinal) nodal status. If the disease has not... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
BACKGROUND
A major determinant of treatment offered to patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is their intrathoracic (mediastinal) nodal status. If the disease has not spread to the ipsilateral mediastinal nodes, subcarinal (N2) nodes, or both, and the patient is otherwise considered fit for surgery, resection is often the treatment of choice. Planning the optimal treatment is therefore critically dependent on accurate staging of the disease. PET-CT (positron emission tomography-computed tomography) is a non-invasive staging method of the mediastinum, which is increasingly available and used by lung cancer multidisciplinary teams. Although the non-invasive nature of PET-CT constitutes one of its major advantages, PET-CT may be suboptimal in detecting malignancy in normal-sized lymph nodes and in ruling out malignancy in patients with coexisting inflammatory or infectious diseases.
OBJECTIVES
To determine the diagnostic accuracy of integrated PET-CT for mediastinal staging of patients with suspected or confirmed NSCLC that is potentially suitable for treatment with curative intent.
SEARCH METHODS
We searched the following databases up to 30 April 2013: The Cochrane Library, MEDLINE via OvidSP (from 1946), Embase via OvidSP (from 1974), PreMEDLINE via OvidSP, OpenGrey, ProQuest Dissertations & Theses, and the trials register www.clinicaltrials.gov. There were no language or publication status restrictions on the search. We also contacted researchers in the field, checked reference lists, and conducted citation searches (with an end-date of 9 July 2013) of relevant studies.
SELECTION CRITERIA
Prospective or retrospective cross-sectional studies that assessed the diagnostic accuracy of integrated PET-CT for diagnosing N2 disease in patients with suspected resectable NSCLC. The studies must have used pathology as the reference standard and reported participants as the unit of analysis.
DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS
Two authors independently extracted data pertaining to the study characteristics and the number of true and false positives and true and false negatives for the index test, and they independently assessed the quality of the included studies using QUADAS-2. We calculated sensitivity and specificity with 95% confidence intervals (CI) for each study and performed two main analyses based on the criteria for test positivity employed: Activity > background or SUVmax ≥ 2.5 (SUVmax = maximum standardised uptake value), where we fitted a summary receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve using a hierarchical summary ROC (HSROC) model for each subset of studies. We identified the average operating point on the SROC curve and computed the average sensitivities and specificities. We checked for heterogeneity and examined the robustness of the meta-analyses through sensitivity analyses.
MAIN RESULTS
We included 45 studies, and based on the criteria for PET-CT positivity, we categorised the included studies into three groups: Activity > background (18 studies, N = 2823, prevalence of N2 and N3 nodes = 679/2328), SUVmax ≥ 2.5 (12 studies, N = 1656, prevalence of N2 and N3 nodes = 465/1656), and Other/mixed (15 studies, N = 1616, prevalence of N2 to N3 nodes = 400/1616). None of the studies reported (any) adverse events. Under-reporting generally hampered the quality assessment of the studies, and in 30/45 studies, the applicability of the study populations was of high or unclear concern.The summary sensitivity and specificity estimates for the 'Activity > background PET-CT positivity criterion were 77.4% (95% CI 65.3 to 86.1) and 90.1% (95% CI 85.3 to 93.5), respectively, but the accuracy estimates of these studies in ROC space showed a wide prediction region. This indicated high between-study heterogeneity and a relatively large 95% confidence region around the summary value of sensitivity and specificity, denoting a lack of precision. Sensitivity analyses suggested that the overall estimate of sensitivity was especially susceptible to selection bias; reference standard bias; clear definition of test positivity; and to a lesser extent, index test bias and commercial funding bias, with lower combined estimates of sensitivity observed for all the low 'Risk of bias' studies compared with the full analysis.The summary sensitivity and specificity estimates for the SUVmax ≥ 2.5 PET-CT positivity criterion were 81.3% (95% CI 70.2 to 88.9) and 79.4% (95% CI 70 to 86.5), respectively.In this group, the accuracy estimates of these studies in ROC space also showed a very wide prediction region. This indicated very high between-study heterogeneity, and there was a relatively large 95% confidence region around the summary value of sensitivity and specificity, denoting a clear lack of precision. Sensitivity analyses suggested that both overall accuracy estimates were marginally sensitive to flow and timing bias and commercial funding bias, which both lead to slightly lower estimates of sensitivity and specificity.Heterogeneity analyses showed that the accuracy estimates were significantly influenced by country of study origin, percentage of participants with adenocarcinoma, (¹⁸F)-2-fluoro-deoxy-D-glucose (FDG) dose, type of PET-CT scanner, and study size, but not by study design, consecutive recruitment, attenuation correction, year of publication, or tuberculosis incidence rate per 100,000 population.
AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS
This review has shown that accuracy of PET-CT is insufficient to allow management based on PET-CT alone. The findings therefore support National Institute for Health and Care (formally 'clinical') Excellence (NICE) guidance on this topic, where PET-CT is used to guide clinicians in the next step: either a biopsy or where negative and nodes are small, directly to surgery. The apparent difference between the two main makes of PET-CT scanner is important and may influence the treatment decision in some circumstances. The differences in PET-CT accuracy estimates between scanner makes, NSCLC subtypes, FDG dose, and country of study origin, along with the general variability of results, suggest that all large centres should actively monitor their accuracy. This is so that they can make reliable decisions based on their own results and identify the populations in which PET-CT is of most use or potentially little value.
Topics: Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung; Cross-Sectional Studies; Humans; Lung Neoplasms; Lymph Nodes; Lymphatic Metastasis; Mediastinum; Multimodal Imaging; Positron-Emission Tomography; Prospective Studies; Retrospective Studies; Tomography, X-Ray Computed
PubMed: 25393718
DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD009519.pub2 -
Chirurgia (Bucharest, Romania : 1990) 2019Postoperative esophageal leaks are one of the major causes of postoperative mortality and morbidity. The purpose of this study was to review current knowledge of current...
BACKGROUND AND AIMS
Postoperative esophageal leaks are one of the major causes of postoperative mortality and morbidity. The purpose of this study was to review current knowledge of current methods of diagnosis and management of postoperative esophageal leaks. A systematic literature search was performed in the PubMed/Medline database using the terms "postoperative esophageal leaks" and "postesophagectomy complications" to identify articles relevant to the current diagnostic and prophylactic and curative treatment of post-oesophagectomy anastomotic fistulas. Several papers have shown that the incidence of fistulas varies and is dependent on several factors: the location of the anastomosis, the type of suture used, the biological condition of the patient. Due to the severity of the mediastinal anastomotic fistula, great importance is being given to the methods of preventing its occurrence by intraoperative testing or improving the gastric tube vascularity. The most recent articles present endoscopic methods of treating this complication by using coated esophageal stents and endoluminal vacuum therapy.
CONCLUSION
In patients with mediastinal postoperative esophageal fistulas, diagnosis and management represent a real challenge for the surgeon-endoscopist-therapist team. The early diagnosis and the establishment of an optimal therapy to address the parietal defect and the biological status of the patient are mandatory conditions for resolving this postoperative complication.
Topics: Anastomotic Leak; Esophageal Fistula; Esophageal Neoplasms; Esophagectomy; Humans; Stents
PubMed: 31511128
DOI: 10.21614/chirurgia.114.4.429 -
Journal of Thoracic Imaging Mar 2023To compare computed tomography (CT)-based radiologic features in patients, who are diagnosed with lung adenocarcinoma with the pathologically detected spread of tumor... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
To compare computed tomography (CT)-based radiologic features in patients, who are diagnosed with lung adenocarcinoma with the pathologically detected spread of tumor cells through air spaces (STAS positive [STAS+]) and those with no STAS. PubMed, Embase, and Scopus databases were systematically searched for observational studies (either retrospective or prospective) of patients with lung adenocarcinoma that had compared CT-based features between STAS+ and STAS-negative cases (STAS-). The pooled effect sizes were reported as odds ratio (OR) and weighted mean difference (WMD). STATA software was used for statistical analysis. The meta-analysis included 10 studies. Compared with STAS-, STAS+ adenocarcinoma was associated with increased odds of solid nodule (OR: 3.30, 95% CI: 2.52, 4.31), spiculation (OR: 2.05, 95% CI: 1.36, 3.08), presence of cavitation (OR: 1.49, 95% CI: 1.00, 2.22), presence of clear boundary (OR: 3.01, 95% CI: 1.70, 5.32), lobulation (OR: 1.65, 95% CI: 1.11, 2.47), and pleural indentation (OR: 1.98, 95% CI: 1.41, 2.77). STAS+ tumors had significant association with the presence of pulmonary vessel convergence (OR: 2.15, 95% CI: 1.61, 2.87), mediastinal lymphadenopathy (OR: 2.06, 95% CI: 1.20, 3.56), and pleural thickening (OR: 2.58, 95% CI: 1.73, 3.84). The mean nodule diameter (mm) (WMD: 6.19, 95% CI: 3.71, 8.66) and the mean solid component (%) (WMD: 24.5, 95% CI: 10.5, 38.6) were higher in STAS+ tumors, compared with STAS- ones. The findings suggest a significant association of certain CT-based features with the presence of STAS in patients with lung adenocarcinoma. These features may be important in influencing the nature of surgical management.
Topics: Humans; Adenocarcinoma of Lung; Lung Neoplasms; Neoplasm Invasiveness; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; Neoplasm Staging; Prognosis; Prospective Studies; Retrospective Studies; Tomography; Tomography, X-Ray Computed; Observational Studies as Topic
PubMed: 36583661
DOI: 10.1097/RTI.0000000000000693 -
Journal of Thoracic Oncology : Official... Jun 2019Confirmatory mediastinoscopy after negative endosonography findings is advised by the guidelines on patients with resectable NSCLC and suspected intrathoracic nodes on... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
Unforeseen N2 Disease after Negative Endosonography Findings with or without Confirmatory Mediastinoscopy in Resectable Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
INTRODUCTION
Confirmatory mediastinoscopy after negative endosonography findings is advised by the guidelines on patients with resectable NSCLC and suspected intrathoracic nodes on fludeoxyglucose F 18 positron emission tomography-computed tomography. Its role however is under debate owing to its limited nodal metastasis detection rate, morbidity, associated treatment delay, and unknown impact on survival.
METHODS
Systematic review and meta-analysis of studies on invasive mediastinal staging in patients with (suspected) NSCLC. The Medline, Embase, and Cochrane databases were searched until September 19, 2018, without year or language restrictions. The Quality Assessment Tool for Diagnostic Accuracy Studies, version 2, was used to evaluate the risk of bias and applicability of the included studies. Rates of unforeseen N2 disease were assessed for endobronchial ultrasound and/or endoscopic ultrasound staging strategies with or without confirmatory mediastinoscopy. Additionally, the complication rates of cervical video mediastinoscopy for mediastinal staging of NSCLC were investigated.
RESULTS
A total of 5073 articles were found, of which 42 studies or subgroups (covering a total of 3248 patients undergoing the surgical reference standard of treatment) were considered in the analysis. Random effects meta-analysis of endosonography with or without confirmatory mediastinoscopy showed rates of unforeseen N2 disease of 9.6% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 7.8%-11.7%, I = 30%) versus 9.9% (95% CI: 6.3%-15.2%, I = 73%), respectively. Random effects meta-analysis of mediastinoscopy (eight studies [1245 patients in total]) showed a complication rate of 6.0% (95% CI: 4.8%-7.5%), with laryngeal recurrent nerve palsy accounting for 2.8% (95% CI: 2.0%-4.0%).
CONCLUSION
The rate of unforeseen N2 disease after negative endosonography findings was similar in patients undergoing immediate lung tumor resection to those undergoing confirmatory mediastinoscopy first, at the cost of 6.0% rate of complications by mediastinoscopy.
Topics: Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung; Clinical Trials as Topic; Endosonography; Humans; Lung Neoplasms; Lymph Nodes; Lymphatic Metastasis; Mediastinoscopy; Neoplasm Staging; Observational Studies as Topic
PubMed: 30905829
DOI: 10.1016/j.jtho.2019.02.032