The recurrence rate after primary resection of cystic echinococcosis: A meta-analysis and systematic literature review

Cystic echinococcosis (CE) is a chronic, complex, zoonotic disease caused by Echinococcus Granulose tapeworms. The disease may present with a variety of symptoms, ranging from asymptomatic to fatal. Surgical intervention is the primary treatment modality for CE. Despite advances in surgical techniques and chemotherapy, disease recurrence remains a major concern. Therefore, we aimed to determine the true rate of CE recurrence after primary resection and identify possible factors that increase the risk of recurrence. A systematic search of Medline, PubMed, Embase, and Cochran Library was conducted to identify studies reporting the incidence of CE recurrence after primary radical surgery. Data were pooled using random effect models. The disease prevalence was determined by calculating the ratio of CE recurrence and the total number of patients. A meta-regression was conducted to identify any potential factors linked to recurrence. A total of 38 eligible studies, with a total of 6,222 CE patients who underwent primary surgical removal, revealed a pooled recurrence rate of 8% (95% CI: 6%-10%). However, significant heterogeneity was observed (I2 p-value <0.001). Subgroup analysis by region showed the highest incidence of recurrence in European and Turkish studies, with rates of 11% (95% CI: 7%-17%) and 9% (95% CI: 5%-14%), respectively. The lowest recurrence rate was observed in Asian studies, with a rate of 4% (95% CI: 2%-7%). Moreover, the non-radical intervention has a recurrence of 5% (95%CI: 4%-7%), radical 7% (95%CI: 6%-9%), and studies that contained both interventions have 10% (95%CI: 6%-16%), P-value= 0.04. This is the first meta-analysis to evaluate the overall incidence of CE recurrence after primary surgical removal. The study also revealed a substantial degree of heterogeneity across the included studies and indicated possible risk factors for higher recurrence rates, such as the study's geographic area, type of surgery and the year it was published. These findings will help to guide future research in developing effective strategies to prevent or reduce CE recurrence and improve patient outcomes.