To determine the accuracy of Fungitell, a β-d-glucan (BDG) test, for the diagnosis of invasive fungal infection (IFI) among cancer patients.
For this meta-analysis, MEDLINE and EMBASE were searched for references related to BDG testing. Study quality was evaluated using QUADAS-2. Statistical analysis was performed using Stata 14.
We screened 12,426 references and identified 189 studies for full-text review. Nineteen studies were included in the final meta-analysis. There was moderate heterogeneity between studies. Nine studies had a high risk of bias, which significantly elevated the overall specificity estimate. Restricting to only low-bias studies, the sensitivity and specificity were 80% and 63%, respectively.
The overall sensitivity and specificity of Fungitell as a diagnostic test for IFI is moderate, and there is substantial heterogeneity between studies. Limiting studies to only low-bias risk reduced heterogeneity but also lowered the overall specificity estimate.