A meta-analysis of the diagnostic value of detecting K-ras mutation in pancreatic juice as a molecular marker for pancreatic cancer

BackgroundK-ras codon 12 mutation is one of the earliest genetic changes in the development of pancreatic cancer (PC) and accurate detection of K-ras mutations is gaining increasing attention in the field of molecular diagnosis.MethodsOriginal research articles which evaluated the diagnostic accuracy of K-ras mutation detection in PC were selected. Data were presented as forest plots and summary receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was used to summarize the overall test performance.ResultsWe assessed 16 studies from 15 published articles. The pooled sensitivity and specificity were 59% (95%CI: 54%–64%) and 87% (95%CI: 84%–89%), respectively. The pooled positive likelihood ratio and negative likelihood ratio were 4.13 (95%CI: 2.73–6.25) and 0.42 (95%CI: 0.32–0.56), respectively, and the pooled diagnostic odds ratio was 13.66 (95% CI: 7.25–25.74).ConclusionsOur results indicate that the analysis of K-ras mutations in pancreatic juice has a considerable diagnostic value in PC. Further studies with rigorous design, large sample size, and multi-regional co-operation are needed.