The diagnostic performance of [18F]FDG PET/CT in the detection of melanoma recurrence: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Purpose The purpose of our meta-analysis and systematic review was to evaluate the diagnostic performance of [18F]FDG PET/CT in melanoma recurrence. Materials and methods Until September 2023, we searched all papers evaluating the diagnostic value of [18F]FDG PET/CT for melanoma recurrence in PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science. The relevant studies' quality was evaluated using the Quality Judgment of Diagnostic Performance Studies (QUADAS-2) methodology. The sensitivity and specificity were provided as estimates with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) using a random-effect model. the heterogeneity among the combined studies was evaluated using I2 statistic,. Results There were 22 studies in all, totaling 2214 patients. For the diagnosis of melanoma recurrence, the combined [18F]FDG PET/CT sensitivity, specificity, and area under the curve (AUC) were 0.91 (95% CI: 0.83-0.95), 0.91 (95% CI: 0.88-0.93), and 0.95 (95% CI: 0.93-0.97). According to the results of Deeks' funnel plot asymmetry test, there was no noticeable publication bias for [18F]FDG PET/CT, according to the results (P = 0.86). Conclusion It finds that [18F]FDG PET/CT has excellent diagnosis performance in identifying malignant melanoma recurrence. Its application could improve patient prognosis by detecting and treating recurrences earlier. Further studies need more prospective large samples.