Table 3. Results of meta-analysis for AUC and sensitivity/specificity.
| Comparison | Marker | Clinical question | Studies, n | AUC (95% CI) | Tau2 | Q | I2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (CR+PR) vs (SD+PD) | CEA | Treatment monitoring | 5 | 0.728 (0.599–0.871) | 1.683 | 35.774 | 88.384 |
| CYFRA 21-1 | 5 | 0.724 (0.667–0.785) | 0.070 | 4.805 | 22.738 | ||
| Comparison | Marker | Clinical question | Studies, n | Sensitivity (95% CI) | Specificity (95% CI) | Tau2 sensitivity | Tau2 specificity |
| (CR+PR) vs (SD+PD) | CEA | Prediction | 5 | 0.568 (0.495–0.638) | 0.536 (0.417–0.652) | 0.053 | 0.233 |
| Treatment monitoring | 8 | 0.747 (0.642–0.830) | 0.698 (0.594–0.785) | 0.349 | 0.345 | ||
| CYFRA 21-1 | Prediction | 4 | 0.505 (0.377–0.633) | 0.672 (0.582–0.751) | 0.210 | 0.076 | |
| Treatment monitoring | 7 | 0.791 (0.715–0.851) | 0.606 (0.538–0.671) | 0.139 | 0.059 | ||
| (PD) vs (CR+PR+SD) | CEA | Prediction | 2 | 0.625 (0.501–0.734) | 0.522 (0.430–0.614) | 0.000 | 0.000 |
| Treatment monitoring | 2 | 0.817 (0.661–0.911) | 0.317 (0.066–0.755) | 0.113 | 1.812 | ||
| CYFRA 21-1 | Prediction | 3 | 0.593 (0.289–0.839) | 0.660 (0.292–0.902) | 1.166 | 1.806 | |
| Treatment monitoring | 2 | 0.844 (0.638–0.943) | 0.714 (0.383–0.909) | 0.244 | 0.859 |
Abbreviations: AUC=area under the curve; CEA=carcinoembryonic antigen; CI=confidence interval; CR=complete response; CYFRA 21-1=cytokeratin-19 fragments; PD=progressive disease; PR=partial response; SD=stable disease.