The Diagnostic Value of Circulating miR-29 Family for Digestive System Malignancies: A Meta-Analysis

Objective To evaluate the diagnostic value of circulating microRNA-29 (miR-29) in digestive system malignant neoplasms by meta-analysis. Methods We searched the PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science to collect studies, published through September 2022, on the diagnostic value of miR-29 in digestive system tumors. Results We included 7 studies in this meta-analysis, including colorectal cancer, esophageal squamous cell carcinomas, and cholangiocarcinoma. The pooled sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio, negative likelihood ratio, and diagnostic odds ratio were 0.64 (95% CI, 0.53-0.74), 0.83 (0.60-0.94), 3.75 (1.42-9.91), 0.44 (0.31-0.61), and 8.63 (2.54-29.26), respectively. The area under the summary receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.75. The sensitivity of miR-29 derived from serum was higher than that of miR-29 derived from plasma for malignant digestive system tumors (0.71 vs 0.54; P = .04). Conclusion This meta-analysis suggests that the circulating miR-29 family has good diagnostic performance for digestive system malignant tumors, with moderate sensitivity and good specificity.