Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39972538›Full record

SynthesisBJS open2024

Diagnostic accuracy of the faecal immunochemical test and volatile organic compound analysis in detecting colorectal polyps: meta-analysis.

Asma Afzal, Yekaterina S Aranan, Tom Roberts, James Covington, Lorena Vidal, Sonia Ahmed, Talvinder Gill, Nader Francis

Abstract readMeta-AnalysisSystematic Review
In one paragraph

Synthesis in BJS open, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
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  5. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Asma AfzalDepartment of Colorectal Surgery, North Tees & Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust, Stockton-on-Tees, UK.
Yekaterina S ArananDepartment of Surgery, Yeovil Hospital, Southwest Yeovil, UK.
Tom RobertsUndergraduate Department, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK.
James CovingtonDepartment of School of Engineering, Warwick University, Warwick, UK.
Lorena VidalDepartment of Analytical Chemistry, Nutrition and Food Science, University Institute of Materials and ISABIAL, University of Alicante, Alicante, Spain.
Sonia AhmedSchool of Health & Life Sciences, Teesside University, Middlesbrough, UK.
Talvinder GillDepartment of Colorectal Surgery, North Tees & Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust, Stockton-on-Tees, UK.
Nader FrancisDepartment of Surgery, Yeovil Hospital, Southwest Yeovil, UK.ORCID 0000-0001-8498-9175

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundFor the early detection of colorectal cancer, it is important to identify the premalignant lesions to prevent cancer development. Non-invasive testing methods such as the faecal immunochemical test are well established for the screening and triage of patients with suspected colorectal cancer but are not routinely used for polyps. Additionally, the role of volatile organic compounds has been tested for cancer detection. The aim of this review was to determine the diagnostic accuracy of the faecal immunochemical test and volatile organic compounds in detecting colorectal polyps.

methodsOriginal articles with diagnostic test accuracy measures for both the faecal immunochemical test and volatile organic compounds for advanced adenomas were included. Four databases including Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online (MEDLINE), Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Embase, and Web of Science were searched. The quality assessment tool for diagnostic accuracy study was used to assess the risk of bias and applicability. Meta-analysis was performed using RStudio® and the combined faecal immunochemical test-volatile organic compounds sensitivity and specificity were computed.

resultsTwenty-two faecal immunochemical tests and 12 volatile organic compound-related articles were included in the systematic review whilst 18 faecal immunochemical tests and eight volatile organic compound-related studies qualified for the meta-analysis. The estimated pooled sensitivity and specificity of the faecal immunochemical test to diagnose advanced adenoma(s) were 36% (95% c.i. 30 to 41) and 89% (95% c.i. 86 to 91) respectively, with an area under the curve of 0.65, whilst volatile organic compounds pooled sensitivity and specificity was 83% (95% c.i. 70 to 91) and 76% (95% c.i. 60 to 87) respectively, with an area under the curve of 0.84. The combined faecal immunochemical test-volatile organic compounds increased the sensitivity to 89% with a specificity of 67%.

conclusionFaecal immunochemical testing has a higher specificity but poor sensitivity for detecting advanced adenomas, while volatile organic compound analysis is more sensitive. The combination of both tests enhances the detection rate of advanced adenomas.

Indexed as

AdenomaColonic PolypsColorectal NeoplasmsEarly Detection of CancerFecesOccult BloodVolatile Organic CompoundsHumansImmunochemistrySensitivity and SpecificityVolatile Organic Compounds

Identifiers

PMID39972538
PMCPMC11839406

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.