Diagnostic Performance of LI-RADS v2018 versus KLCA-NCC 2018 Criteria for Hepatocellular Carcinoma Using Magnetic Resonance Imaging with Hepatobiliary Agent: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Comparative Studies.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: To compare the performance of the Liver Imaging Reporting and Data System (LI-RADS) v2018 and Korean Liver Cancer Association-National Cancer Center (KLCA-NCC) 2018 criteria for diagnosing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with hepatobiliary agent (HBA).

METHODS

We searched the MEDLINE and EMBASE for studies from January 1, 2018, to October 20, 2021, that compared the diagnostic performance of two imaging criteria on HBA-MRI. A bivariate random-effects model was fitted to calculate the per-observation sensitivity and specificity, and the estimates of paired data were compared. Subgroup analysis was performed based on the observation size. Meta-regression analysis was also performed for study heterogeneity.

RESULTS

Of the six studies included, the pooled sensitivity of the definite HCC category of the KLCA-NCC criteria (82%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 74% to 90%; I=84%) was higher than that of LR-5 of LI-RADS v2018 (65%; 95% CI, 52% to 77%; I=96%) for diagnosing HCC (p<0.001), while the specificity was lower for KLCA-NCC criteria (87%; 95% CI, 84% to 91%; I=0%) than LI-RADS v2018 (93%; 95% CI, 91% to 96%; I=0%) (p=0.017). For observations sized ≥20 mm, the sensitivity was higher for KLCA-NCC 2018 than for LI-RADS v2018 (84% vs 74%, p=0.012), with no significant difference in specificity (81% vs 85%, p=0.451). The reference standard was a significant factor contributing to the heterogeneity of sensitivities.

CONCLUSIONS

The definite HCC category of KLCA-NCC 2018 provided a higher sensitivity and lower specificity than the LR-5 of LI-RADS v2018 for diagnosing HCC using MRI with HBA.