Comparison between diagnostic performance of intestinal Fusobacterium
nucleatum, Bacteroides fragilis and Escherichia coli in 5-fluorouracil
resistance to colorectal cancer: A Meta‑Analysis
Abstract
Background: Intestinal Fusobacterium nucleatum (F. nucleatum) infection
has been implicated into the progression of colorectal cancer (CRC).
However, F. nucleatum as a biomarker in 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) resistance
of CRC has not been fully analyzed by comparing with other types of gut
microbiota. This meta‑analysis aimed to compare the diagnostic
performance of intestinal Fusobacterium nucleatum, Bacteroides fragilis
and Escherichia coli in 5-FU resistance to colorectal cancer and provide
evidence‑based data to clinical practice. Methods: Comprehensive
searches of PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library and Web of Science
databases were conducted by the following key words: “Fusobacterium
nucleatum”, “5-Fluorouracil resistance”, “Bacteroides fragilis”,
“Escherichia coli” and “colorectal cancer(s)”. A total of 11 studies
were selected according to the preestablished inclusion and exclusion
criteria and analyzed by Review Manager 5.4 software. The sensitivity,
specificity, positive likelihood ratio (PLR), negative likelihood ratio
(NLR), diagnostic odds ratio (DOR) and their corresponding 95%
confidence interval (CI) of each eligible study were summarized.
Results: Overall sensitivity and specificity of F. nucleatum detection
in 5-FU resistance of CRC were 0.65 (95% CI:0.60-0.69) and 0.70 (95%
CI:0.59-0.87), respectively. Its PLR and NLR in detecting colorectal
cancer were 2.57 (95% CI:1.47-3.21) and 0.52 (95% CI:0.43-0.63). DOR
value was 4.92 (95% CI:2.23-7.33), which significantly exceeds the
performance of B. fragilis (DOR: 0.53, 95% CI:0.31-0.82) and E. coli
(DOR: 0.63, 95% CI: 0.57-0.76) for indicating 5-FU resistance of CRC.
Conclusion: Compared with B. fragilis and E. coli, intestinal F.
nucleatum is a valuable biomarker for 5-FU resistance to colorectal
cancer.