MRI as a diagnostic biomarker for differentiating primary central nervous system lymphoma from glioblastoma: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: Accurate preoperative differentiation of primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) and glioblastoma is clinically crucial because the treatment strategies differ substantially.

Purpose: To evaluate the diagnostic performance of MRI for differentiating PCNSL from glioblastoma.

Study type: Systematic review and meta-analysis.

Subjects: Ovid-MEDLINE and EMBASE databases were searched to find relevant original articles up to November 25, 2018. The search term combined synonyms for "lymphoma," "glioblastoma," and "MRI."

Field strength/sequence: Patients underwent at least one MRI sequence including diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI), dynamic susceptibility-weighted contrast-enhanced imaging (DSC), dynamic contrast-enhanced imaging (DCE), arterial spin labeling (ASL), susceptibility-weighted imaging (SWI), intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM), and magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) using 1.5 or 3 T.

Assessment: Quality assessment was performed according to the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies-2 tool.

Statistical tests: Hierarchical logistic regression modeling was used to obtain pooled sensitivity and specificity. Meta-regression was performed.

Results: Twenty-two studies with 1182 patients were included. MRI sequences demonstrated high overall diagnostic performance with pooled sensitivity of 91% (95% confidence interval [CI], 87-93%) and specificity of 89% (95% CI, 85-93%). The area under the hierarchical summary receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.92 (95% CI, 0.90-0.94). Studies using DSC or ASL showed high diagnostic performance (sensitivity of 93% [95% CI, 89-97%] and specificity of 91% [95% CI, 86-96%]). Heterogeneity was only detected in specificity (I² = 66.84%) and magnetic field strength was revealed to be a significant factor affecting study heterogeneity.

Data conclusion: MRI showed overall high diagnostic performance for differentiating PCNSL from glioblastoma, with studies using DSC or ASL showing high diagnostic performance. Therefore, MRI sequences including DSC or ASL is a potential diagnostic tool for differentiating PCNSL from glioblastoma.

Level of evidence: 3 Technical Efficacy Stage: 2 J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2019;50:560-572.