Meta-analysis of two computer-assisted screening methods for diagnosing oral precancer and cancer

• We compared two computer-assisted methods for diagnosis oral precancer and cancer.
• We used a new statistical tool: SROC, to manage this meta-analysis.
• Computer-assistance diagnostic tools are simple and relatively accurate methods to detect oral precancer and cancer.

SummaryThe early diagnosis of oral precancer and cancer is crucial and could have the highest impact on improving survival rates. A meta-analysis was conducted to compare the accuracy between the OralCDx brush biopsy and DNA-image cytometry in diagnosing both conditions. Bibliographic databases were systematically searched for original relevant studies on the early diagnosis of oral precancer and oral cancer. Study characteristics were evaluated to determine the accuracy of the two screening strategies. Thirteen studies (eight of OralCDx brush biopsy and five of DNA-image cytometry) were identified as having reported on 1981 oral mucosa lesions. The meta-analysis found that the area under the summary receiver operating characteristic curves of the OralCDx brush biopsy and DNA-image cytometry were 0.8879 and 0.9885, respectively. The pooled sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic odds ratio of the OralCDx brush biopsy were 86% (95% CI 81–90), 81% (95% CI 78–85), and 20.36 (95% CI 2.72–152.67), respectively, while these modalities of DNA-image cytometry were 89% (95% CI 83–94), 99% (95% CI 97–100), and 446.08 (95% CI 73.36–2712.43), respectively. Results of a pairwise comparison between each modality demonstrated that specificity, area under the curve (AUC), and Q∗ index of DNA-image cytometry was significantly higher than that of the OralCDx brush biopsy (Z = 2.821, p < 0.05; Z = 1.711, p < 0.05; Z = 1.727, p < 0.05), but no significant difference in sensitivity was found (Z = 1.520, p > 0.05). In conclusion, the meta-analysis of the published studies indicated that DNA-image cytometry is more accurate than the OralCDx brush biopsy in diagnosing oral precancer and oral cancer.