Characterisation of Prostate Lesions Using Transrectal Shear Wave Elastography (SWE) Ultrasound Imaging: A Systematic Review.

Simple Summary: Shear wave elastography is an ultrasound-based imaging modality that can delineate prostate lesions that are stiffer, possibly due to cancerous changes. Using evidence from 16 published studies, including more than 2200 patients with suspected or biopsy-proven prostate cancer, we showed that shear wave elastography has good sensitivity and specificity for the detection of prostate cancer. Background: ultrasound-based shear wave elastography (SWE) can non-invasively assess prostate tissue stiffness. This systematic review aims to evaluate SWE for the detection of prostate cancer (PCa) and compare diagnostic estimates between studies reporting the detection of all PCa and clinically significant PCa (csPCa). Methods: a literature search was performed using the MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, ClinicalTrials.gov, and CINAHL databases. Studies evaluating SWE for the detection of PCa using histopathology as reference standard were included. Results: 16 studies including 2277 patients were included for review. Nine studies evaluated SWE for the detection of PCa using systematic biopsy as a reference standard at the per-sample level, with a pooled sensitivity and specificity of 0.85 (95% CI = 0.74–0.92) and 0.85 (95% CI = 0.75–0.91), respectively. Five studies evaluated SWE for the detection of PCa using histopathology of radical prostatectomy (RP) specimens as the reference standard, with a pooled sensitivity and specificity of 0.71 (95% CI = 0.55–0.83) and 0.74 (95% CI = 0.42–0.92), respectively. Sub-group analysis revealed a higher pooled sensitivity (0.77 vs. 0.62) and specificity (0.84 vs. 0.53) for detection of csPCa compared to all PCa among studies using RP specimens as the reference standard. Conclusion: SWE is an attractive imaging modality for the detection of PCa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]