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. 2019 Jul 1;2019(7):CD012806. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD012806.pub2
Study
Population group
No. pts
Lesions/
cases
Test Distant Bone Lung Liver Skin/subcutaneous Other
Sensitivity: [95% CI]% TP/Dis
Specificity: [95% CI]% TN/No Dis
Sensitivity
[95% CI] %
TP/Dis
Specificity
[95% CI] %
TN/No Dis
Sensitivity
[95% CI] %
TP/Dis
Specificity
[95% CI] %
TN/No Dis
Sensitivity
[95% CI] %
TP/Dis
Specificity
[95% CI] %
TN/No Dis
Sensitivity
[95% CI] %
TP/Dis
Specificity
[95% CI] %
TN/No Dis
Sensitivity: [95% CI] % 
 TP/Dis
Specificity: [95% CI]%
TN/No Dis
CT                    
Dellestable 2011
Mixed
40
118/72 (no. varies per test)
CT (CE) Incl brain:
Se: 59 [42 to 74]
24/41
Sp: 87 [73 to 96]
34/39
50
[23 to 77]
7/14
Insufficient data (3/3 detected) 100
[75 to 100]
13/13
Insufficient data (2/3 detected) Insufficient data (2/4 detected) 100
 [80 to 100]
17/17
    Distant minus bone, lung, liver mets
Se: 20 [3 to 56] 2/10
Sp: 75 [48 to 93] 12/16
Hausmann 2011
Unclear
33
824/455
(all detected by ≥ 1 test)
CT (CE) Excl brain:
Se: 71 [65 to 76]
186/263
Sp: 71 [64 to 77]
129/182
(n = 1) (n = 1) 78
[70 to 84]
113/145
52
 [38 to 66]
27/52
39
[23 to 58]
13/33
50
 [32 to 68]
17/34
Subcutaneous: 82
[65 to 93]
27/33
Subcutaneous: 54
 [25 to 81]
7/13
Adrenal, spleen, muscle, kidney plus ‘other’a:
Se: 63 [49 to 76] 33/52
Sp: 94 [86 to 98] 78/83
Jouvet 2014
Unclear
37
218/125 (no. varies per test)
CT (CE) Incl brain:
Se: 88 [80 to 94]
81/92
Sp: 73 [61 to 84]
47/63
Excl brain:
Se: 86 [76 to 93]
62/72
Sp: 72 [59 to 83]
44/61
67
[38 to 88]
10/15
100
 [81 to 100]
18/18
94
[79 to 99]
29/31
36
 [13 to 65]
5/14
83
[52 to 98]
10/12
87
 [60 to 98]
13/15
Subcutaneous: 2/2 Subcutaneous: 62 [32 to 86]
8/13
Brain:
Se: 95 [75 to 100] 19/20
Sp: 3/3 lesions correctly identified as benign
Otherb: 13/13 correctly identified; 1 (small bowel) missed by CT
Pfannenberg 2007
Mixed
64
420/297 (all suspicious on ≥ 1 test)
CT (CE) Excl brain:
Se: 77 [71 to 83]
151/195
Sp: 64 [52 to 76]
43/67
63
[45 to 79]
22/35
80
 [52 to 96]
12/15
96
[87 to 100]
51/53
29
 [10 to 56]
5/17
80
[63 to 92]
28/34
Insufficient data (1/2 detected) 64
[51 to 76]
38/59
71
 [48 to 89]
15/21
‘Other viscera’c:
Se: 92 [64 to 100] 12/13
Sp: 83 [52 to 98] 10/12
Brain metastases excludedd
MRI                    
Dellestable 2011
Mixed
40
118/72 (no. varies per test)
MRI (DW) Incl brain:
Se: 77 [61 to 89]
30/39 Sp: 97
 [86 to 100]
37/38
93
 [66 to 100]
13/14
Insufficient data (2/0 detected) 62
 [32 to 86]
8/13
Insufficient data (1/1 detected) Insufficient data (4/4 detected) 100
 [85 to 100]
22/22
    Distant minus bone, lung, liver mets
Se: 63 [24 to 91] 5/8
Sp: 92 [64 to 100] 12/13
Hausmann 2011
Unclear
33
824/455 (all detected by ≥ 1 test)
MRI (NR) Excl brain:
Se: 67 [61 to 73]
177/263
Sp: 91 [85 to 94]
165/182
Insufficient data (1/1 detected) Insufficient data (1/1 detected) 47
 [39 to 55]
68/145
96
 [87 to 100]
50/52
85
 [68 to 95]
28/33
100
 [90 to 100]
34/34
Subcutaneous: 100
 [89 to 100]
33/33
Subcutaneous: 77
 [46 to 95]
10/13
Adrenal, spleen, muscle, kidney plus ‘other’a:
sensitivity:
Se: 92 [81 to 98] 48/52
Sp: 86 [76 to 92] 71/83
Jouvet 2014
Unclear
37
218/125 (no. varies per test)
MRI (DW) Incl brain:
Se: 62 [52 to 71]
63/102
Sp: 70 [57 to 81]
44/63
Excl brain:
Se: 61[50 to 72]
50/82
Sp: 68 [55 to 80]
41/60
100
 [79 to 100]
16/16
47
 [24 to 71]
9/19
26
 [12 to 45]
8/31
93
 [66 to 100]
13/14
92
 [62 to 100]
11/12
67
 [38 to 88]
10/15
Subcutaneous: 70
 [35 to 93]
7/10
Subcutaneous:
75
 [43 to 95]
9/12
Brain:
Se: 65 [41 to 85] 13/20
Sp: 3/3 benign correctly identified
Other 2: 13/13 correctly identified; 1 (small bowel) missed by MRI
    MRI (DW + VIBE) Incl brain:
Se: 83 [75 to 90]
85/102
Sp: 81 [69 to 90]
51/63
Excl brain:
Se: 79 [69 to 87]
65/82
Sp: 80 [68 to 89]
48/60
100
 [79 to 100]
16/16
74
 [49 to 91]
14/19
52
 [33 to 70]
16/31
79
 [49 to 95]
11/14
100
 [74 to 100]
12/12
93
 [68 to 100]
14/15
Subcutaneous:
90
 [55 to 100]
9/10
Subcutaneous:
75
 [43 to 95]
9/12
Brain:
Se: 100 [83 to 100] 20/20
Sp: 3/3 benign correctly identified
Otherb: 13/13 correctly identified; 1 (small bowel) missed by MRI
Pfannenberg 2007
Mixed
64
420/297 (all suspicious on ≥ 1 test)
MRI (DW + VIBE) Excl brain:
Se: 87 [82 to 92]
170/195
Sp: 76 [64 to 86]
51/67
100
 [90 to 100]
35/35
73
 [45 to 92]
11/15
87
 [75 to 95]
46/53
76
 [50 to 93]
13/17
100
[90 to 100]
35/35
Insufficient data (2/2 detected) 78
 [65 to 88]
46/59
67
 [43 to 85]
14/21
‘Other viscera:
sensitivity: 62 [32 to 86] 8/13
Sp: 92 [62 to 100] 11/12
Brain metastases excludedd
PET‐CT                    
Cachin 2014
Mixed
87
176/85
PET‐CT (NR) Incl brain:
Se: 78 [67 to 88]
51/65
Sp: 58 [46 to 70]
42/72
86
 [57 to 98]
12/14
86
 [57 to 98]
12/14
100
 [69 to 100]
10/10
100
 [69 to 100]
10/10
2/2 71
[29 to 96]
5/7
Skin: 86 [42 to 100]
6/7
0/2 Brain:
Se: 22 [3 to 60] 2/7
Sp: 2/7
Soft tissue metastasis:
Sp: 75 [48 to 93] 12/16
Sp: 6/7
Dellestable 2011
Mixed
40
118/72 (no. varies per test)
PET‐CT (CE) Incl brain:
Se: 66 [49 to 80]
27/45
Sp: 88 [73 to 96]
35/40
71
 [42 to 92]
10/14
3/3 31
 [9 to 61]
4/13
2/2 2/4 90
 [70 to 99]
19/21
    Distant minus bone, lung, liver mets:
Se: 92 [62 to 100]
11/12
Sp: 79 [49 to 95]
11/14
Jouvet 2014
Unclear
37
218/125 (no. varies per test)
PET‐CT (CE) Excl brain:
Se: 75 [64 to 84]
61/81
Sp: 91 [81 to 97]
52/57
88
 [62 to 98]
14/16
75
 [43 to 95]
18/19
48
 [30 to 67]
15/31
100
 [77 to 100]
14/14
100
 [74 to 100]
12/12
100
 [78 to 100]
15/15
100
 [59 to 100] 63
 [24 to 91]
5/8
Other2: 13/13 correctly identified; 1 (small bowel) missed by CT
Pfannenberg 2007
Mixed
64
420/297 (all suspicious on ≥ 1 test)
PET‐CT (CE) Excl brain:
Se: 93[89 to 96]
182/195
Sp: 67 [55 to 78]
45/67
91
 [77 to 98]
32/35
80
 [52 to 96]
12/15
96
 [87 to 100]
51/53
35
 [14 to 62]
6/17
94
[81 to 99]
33/35
2/2 90
 [79 to 96]
53/59
67
 [43 to 85]
14/21
‘Other viscera’c:
Se: 100 [75 to 100
13/13
Sp: 92 [62 to 100]
11/12
Brain metastases excludedd
a‘Other’ not further defined (Hausmann 2011).
bFourteen ‘other metastatic sites described’, all assumed (by us) to be malignant adrenal (4), heart (2), spleen (2), peritoneal carcinosis (2), breast (1), pleura (1), vagina (1), and small intestine (1).
cother visceral metastases such as bowel or peritoneal lesion (Pfannenberg 2007).
dBrain metastases excluded from comparison of accuracy; reports 15 patients with cerebral metastases, “exclusively diagnosed by wbMRI” (Pfannenberg 2007).
CE: contrast enhanced; CI: confidence interval; CT: computed tomography; Dis: diseased group; DW: diffusion weighted; excl: excluding; GE: gradient echo; incl: including; MRI: magnetic resonance imaging; No Dis: non‐diseased group; NR: not reported; PET: positron emission tomography; Se: sensitivity; Sp: specificity; TN: true negative; TP: true positive; U: unenhanced; US: ultrasound; WB: whole body.