# Is three-dimensional ultrasonography a valuable diagnostic tool for patients with ovarian cancer? Systematic review and meta-analysis

## TL;DR

This study evaluates how well 3D ultrasound and related techniques can diagnose ovarian cancer, finding that combining them improves accuracy.

## Contribution

The study provides a meta-analysis comparing the diagnostic performance of 3DUS, 3DPD, and their combination in detecting ovarian cancer.

## Key findings

- 3DUS combined with 3DPD showed higher sensitivity and specificity compared to using either technique alone.
- The pooled AUC for the combination of 3DUS and 3DPD was 0.99, indicating excellent diagnostic accuracy.
- The study confirms that 3DUS and 3DPD are promising tools for diagnosing ovarian cancer.

## Abstract

This paper was to assess the diagnostic performance and clinical value of three-dimensional ultrasonography (3DUS), three-dimensional ultrasonography power Doppler (3DPD), and 3DUS combined with 3DPD in ovarian cancer (OC).

The study was registered with PROSPERO (CRD 42023405765). PubMed and Web of Science were searched from inception to 25 January 2022, and reference lists of potentially eligible studies were also manually searched. Patient and study characteristics were extracted by two independent reviewers. Any discrepancies were addressed through discussion. The sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative likelihood ratio (PLR and NLR, respectively), and the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) were pooled separately.

We retrieved 2,566 studies, of which 18 were finally enrolled, with 2,548 cases. The pooled sensitivity, specificity, PLR, NLR, and AUC for 3DUS were 0.89 (95% CI: 0.85–0.93), 0.93 (95% CI: 0.88–0.96), 13.1 (95% CI: 7.3–23.4), 0.11 (95% CI: 0.08–0.16), and 0.90 (95% CI: 0.87–0.93), respectively. The pooled sensitivity, specificity, PLR, NLR, and AUC for 3DPD were 0.90 (95% CI: 0.80–0.95), 0.85 (95% CI: 0.71–0.92), 5.8 (95% CI: 3.0–11.2), 0.12 (95% CI: 0.06–0.24), and 0.94 (95% CI: 0.91–0.96), respectively. The pooled sensitivity, specificity, PLR, NLR, and AUC for 3DUS combined with 3DPD were 0.99 (95% CI: 0.73–1.00), 0.95 (95% CI: 0.85–0.99), 21.9 (95% CI: 6.1–78.9), 0.01 (95% CI: 0.00–0.37), and 0.99 (95% CI: 0.98–1.00), respectively.

3DUS, 3DPD, and 3DUS combined with 3DPD are promising diagnostic tools for OC, alongside elevated sensitivity and specificity. However, the combination of 3DUS and 3DPD techniques has higher diagnostic efficiency.

https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/, identifier CRD 42023405765.