Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 14, 2026
MicroRNA Based Liquid Biopsy: The Experience of the Plasma miRNA Signature Classifier MSC for Lung Cancer Screening
Published on: October 26, 2017
Diagnostic accuracy of SHOX-2 methylation for malignant pleural effusion: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Hao-Jie Wang1,2, Jian-Ying Cui1,2, Wen-Jie Hou2,3
1Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, the Affiliated Hospital of Inner Mongolia Medical University, Hohhot, China.
Background:
Some studies have assessed the diagnostic value of SHOX-2 methylation for malignant pleural effusion (MPE), but their findings were inconsistent. This study aimed to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of SHOX-2 methylation for MPE.
Methods:
We searched the PubMed and Web of Science databases to identify studies involving SHOX-2 methylation in diagnosing MPE. The last search date was in December 2024. We evaluated the quality of the included studies using the revised Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies tool-2 (QUADAS-2). A bivariate model was used to pool the sensitivity, specificity, and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of SHOX-2 methylation. The overall diagnostic accuracy of SHOX-2 methylation was assessed by a summary receiver operating characteristic (sROC) curve. The publication bias was analyzed using Deek's test.
Results:
Six studies with 613 MPE patients and 723 benign pleural effusion (BPE) patients were included. The pooled sensitivity (95% CI) and specificity (95% CI) of SHOX-2 methylation were 0.64 (0.36-0.85) and 0.96 (0.92-0.98), respectively. The area under the sROC curve was 0.96 (95% CI: 0.94-0.97). There was no publication bias across the eligible studies.
Conclusions:
SHOX-2 methylation has a moderate diagnostic value for MPE.
Related Concept Videos
01:28Pleural Effusion II: Symptoms and Management
A pleural effusion is the abnormal collection of fluid between the parietal and visceral pleura layers of tissue that form the lining of the lungs and chest cavity. It can occur independently or due to surrounding parenchymal diseases, such as infection, malignancy, or inflammatory conditions.
Clinical Manifestations:
01:29Pulmonary Embolism II: Diagnostic Studies and Interprofessional Care