¹⁸F-FDG PET/MRI in Detection of Pulmonary Malignancies: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background There have been conflicting results regarding fluorine 18–labeled fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) PET/MRI diagnostic performance in lung malignant neoplasms. Purpose To evaluate the diagnostic performance of 18F-FDG PET/MRI for the detection of pulmonary malignant neoplasms. Materials and Methods A systematic search was conducted within the Scopus, Web of Science, and PubMed databases until December 31, 2021. Published original articles that met the following criteria were considered eligible for meta-analysis: (a) detecting malignant lesions in the lung, (b) comparing 18F-FDG PET/MRI with a valid reference standard, and (c) providing data for the meta-analytic calculations. A hierarchical method was used to pool the performances. The bivariate model was used to find the summary points and 95% CIs. The hierarchical summary receiver operating characteristic model was used to draw the summary receiver operating characteristic curve and calculate the area under the curve. The Higgins I2 statistic and Cochran Q test were used for heterogeneity assessment. Results A total of 43 studies involving 1278 patients met the inclusion criteria and were included in the meta-analysis. 18F-FDG PET/MRI had a pooled sensitivity and specificity of 96% (95% CI: 84, 99) and 100% (95% CI: 98, 100), respectively. 18F-FDG PET/CT had a pooled sensitivity and specificity of 99% (95% CI: 61, 100) and 99% (95% CI: 94, 100), respectively, which were comparable with those of 18F-FDG PET/MRI. At meta-regression, studies in which contrast media (P = .03) and diffusion-weighted imaging (P = .04) were used as a part of a pulmonary 18F-FDG PET/MRI protocol showed significantly higher sensitivities. Conclusion Fluorine 18–labeled fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) PET/MRI was found to be accurate and comparable with 18F-FDG PET/CT in the detection of malignant pulmonary lesions, with significantly improved sensitivity when advanced acquisition protocols were used.