Intracystic Glucose Levels Appear Useful for Diagnosis of Pancreatic Cystic Lesions: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Background: Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) in the pancreatic cystic fluid is the most important biomarker for differentiating mucinous from non-mucinous pancreatic cystic lesions (PCLs). However, recent studies have shown that glucose levels in pancreatic cystic fluid can discriminate mucinous from non-mucinous cysts. Aims: To perform a meta-analysis to determine the utility of intracystic fluid glucose of pancreatic mucinous cysts compared with intracystic CEA. Methods: We conducted a systematic review of the literature in the PubMed, OVID Medline, and Cochrane databases. This meta-analysis considers studies published up to October 2020. Results: Six studies comprising 506 patients were selected; 61.2% of the population was female. Of the 480 PCLs, 287 (59.7%) were mucinous. Pooled sensitivity and specificity of cystic fluid glucose levels for mucinous PCLs were 91% and 85%, respectively. The positive likelihood ratio (PLR) and negative likelihood ratio (NLR) were 6.33 and 0.11, respe...