Tiruneh Adane

The diagnostic accuracy of macrophage colony-stimulating factor for cervical cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: Macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF) overexpression in plasma levels serves as a useful predictor of carcinogenesis and poor prognosis. Thus, we aimed to investigate the diagnostic performance of M-CSF for cervical cancer. Methods: A comprehensive search of eligible studies was performed in PubMed/MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, Google Scholar, Scopus, Web of Science, and EMBASE published until October 2021. For statistical analysis, Meta-disc software is used. The pooled sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio, negative likelihood ratio, diagnostic odds ratio, 95% confidence interval (CI), and the area under the curve were estimated. A P value <.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: A total of 5 studies were included in this systematic review and meta-analysis. The result showed that the pooled sensitivity and specificity of M-CSF to diagnose cervical cancer were 70% (95% CI: 66%–74%) and 84% (95% CI: 80%–88%), respectively. The summary positive likelihood ratio and negative likelihood ratio were 4.41 (95% CI: 2.86–6.82) and 0.36 (95% CI: 0.29–0.45), respectively. The area under the curve of the summary receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.86 (95% CI: 0.83–0.88), indicating the excellent diagnostic performance of M-CSF for cervical cancer. Conclusions: The results of this study showed that M-CSF has diagnostic value for the early detection of cervical cancer. As a result, M-CSF can be utilized in conjunction with existing test platforms to diagnose cervical cancer.