Validity of narrow band imaging in the detection of oral and oropharyngeal malignant lesions: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND

This meta-analysis describes the validity of narrow band imaging (NBI) in the assessment of suspicious oral lesions.

METHODS

Medline, EMBASE, and Scopus were searched for trial studies comparing NBI with conventional modalities in the oral cavity (OC) and oropharynx (OP) for the detection of dysplastic and malignant change.

RESULTS

Seven studies were found, and generally supported the utility of NBI in different clinical settings, although there were exceptions. Pooled data from 4 studies of NBI validity demonstrated high summary specificity and sensitivity for a wide range of suspicious lesions of the OC or OP (75.7% with 95% CI 65.1%-83.9%, and 91.5% with 95% CI 81.8%-96.3%, respectively). Summary positive likelihood ratio (LR+) was 8.91 (95% CI 4.1-19.6) and 0.27 (95% CI 0.18-0.39), respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

NBI is a promising diagnostic and surveillance tool for suspicious lesions in the OC or OP; however, higher powered studies will define precise NBI criterion and clinical recommendations.