Breast-specific gamma imaging versus ultrasound and mammography for breast cancer diagnosis: A meta-analysis

Background: Breast cancer (BC) is presently reported to have the highest incidence of cancer in females globally. Several imaging methods are available for early BC diagnosis and for improving its treatment outcomes. The present meta-analysis compared the effectiveness of breast-specific gamma imaging (BSGI), mammography, and ultrasound for diagnosing BC. Material and Methods: Relevant studies on this topic were retrieved from the PubMed, Scopus, and EMBASE databases. Pooled sensitivity and specificity as well as the area under the curve (AUC) value of a summary receiver operating characteristic (SROC) curve of the three imaging modalities were compared. Results: Ten studies were retrieved, which included 2621 lesions from 2482 patients. The pooled sensitivity values of BSGI, ultrasound, and mammography were 0.90, 0.88, and 0.75, respectively (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.88-0.91, 0.86-0.89, and 0.72-0.77, respectively). The pooled specificity values of BSGI, ultrasound, and mammography were 0.83, 0.67, and 0.76, respectively (95% CI: 0.81-0.85, 0.64-0.69, and 0.74-0.78, respectively). The AUC values of BSGI, ultrasound, and mammography were 0.9355, 0.8644, and 0.8221, respectively. Conclusions: Compared to ultrasound and mammography, BSGI has the best diagnostic performance to discern malignant and benign breast lesions and could play a crucial role in diagnosing BC in women who have dense breasts.