The utility of one-step nucleic acid amplification in detecting sentinel lymph node metastases in colorectal cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Abstract

e15581 Background: Sentinel lymph node (SLN) assessment is critical in colorectal cancer (CRC) for accurate staging and determining optimal treatment strategies. The one-step nucleic acid amplification (OSNA) assay, which measures cytokeratin 19 (CK19) mRNA expression, has shown potential as a molecular diagnostic tool for the intraoperative detection of SLN metastases. This study aims to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of OSNA for SLN metastasis in CRC. Methods: A systematic search was conducted in PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science for studies published up to December 2024. Studies reporting diagnostic accuracy metrics for OSNA in detecting SLN metastases in CRC were included. R software (version 4.0.3) with the mada package was used to compute pooled sensitivity, specificity, false-positive rates, diagnostic odds ratios (DOR), and likelihood ratios (LR), all expressed within 95% confidence intervals (CI). Results: Six studies involving 3,016 patients, of whom 363 had SLNs, were included. The pooled sensitivity of OSNA was 91% (95% CI: 84.8–94.8%), while the specificity was 95.6% (95% CI: 91.7–97.8%). The diagnostic odds ratio (DOR) was 220.59 (95% CI: 74.02–657.43). The false-positive rate was 4.4% (95% CI: 2.2–8.3%). The positive likelihood ratio (LR+) was 20.8 (95% CI: 10.5–41.2), and the negative likelihood ratio (LR−) was 0.09 (95% CI: 0.05–0.16). These findings demonstrate that in diagnostic accuracy, OSNA outperforms traditional histopathological methods, such as hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining. Conclusions: OSNA demonstrates superior diagnostic accuracy for detecting SLN metastases in colorectal cancer, supporting its integration into clinical workflows. Its high diagnostic accuracy and rapid intraoperative turnaround time make it an invaluable resource for improving surgical decision-making. However, variability in CK19 expression across tissues and the lack of standardized assay thresholds remain challenges that require further investigation. However, its adoption has the potential to enhance staging accuracy and improve surgical and oncological outcomes, warranting broader implementation in CRC management.