Diagnostic value of EBV-DNA in CSF for PCNSL in AIDS patients with focal brain lesions: A meta-analysis of diagnostic test

Background: Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection plays a crucial role in the progression of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome related primary central nervous system lymphoma (AR-PCNSL). This study aimed at evaluating the diagnostic value of cerebrospinal spinal fluid (CSF) EBV-deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) for PCNSL in patients with infection of human immunodeficiency (HIV) virus through a meta-analysis of diagnostic test. Methods: A systematic search in PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Wanfang, Chinese Biomedical Database and Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure was conducted before May 10, 2022. Heterogeneity among the studies was assessed using Q test and I2 statistics. Publication bias was assessed using the Deek’s funnel plot asymmetry test. Statistical analyses were performed using Stata 16.0 software. The pooled sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative likelihood ratios (PLR and NLR), diagnostic odds ratios (DOR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were caculated to evaluate the diagnostic value. A symmetric receiver operating characteristic (SROC) curve and the area under the SROC curve (AUC) were constructed to evaluate the test-performance. Results: Twelve studies were included in the final analyses, with a total of 141 patients with AR-PCNSL and 590 controls. The pooled diagnostic values were sensitivity of 0.83 (95% CI: 0.73–0.90), specificity of 0.95 (95%CI: 0.89–0.98), PLR of 17.8 (95%CI: 6.8–46.1), NLR of 0.17 (95%CI: 0.10–0.30), DOR of 102 (95%CI: 28–379), and AUC of 0.94 (95%CI: 0.91–0.96). Conclusion: In summary the overall diagnostic value of CSF EBV-DNA is very high and it can be a reliable diagnostic biomarker for AR-PCNSL.