Diagnostic efficiency of serum-based fourier transform infrared spectroscopy for brain tumors: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy has been widely explored as a non-invasive diagnostic tool in oncology. However, the overall diagnostic performance of serum-based FTIR spectroscopy for brain tumor detection has not been systematically evaluated. This meta-analysis aimed to comprehensively assess its diagnostic efficiency. PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library, and Web of Science were systematically searched for relevant studies published up to March 28, 2025. Pooled sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio (PLR), negative likelihood ratio (NLR), diagnostic odds ratio (DOR), and summary receiver operating characteristic (SROC) curves with area under the curve (AUC) were calculated. Inter-study heterogeneity was assessed using the I 2 statistic and Q test, and subgroup analyses were performed to explore potential sources. Study quality was evaluated using the Newcastle–Ottawa Scale. Statistical analyses were conducted using Stata SE 15.1. A total of 50 studies from 13 independent records were included. For discrimination between brain tumor patients and controls, the pooled sensitivity and specificity were 0.92 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.90–0.93) and 0.93 (95% CI: 0.91–0.94), respectively, with a PLR of 12.97, an NLR of 0.09, a DOR of 143.05, and an AUC of 0.97. For differentiation among different brain tumor types, the pooled sensitivity and specificity were 0.86 (95% CI: 0.82–0.90) and 0.80 (95% CI: 0.73–0.86), respectively, with an AUC of 0.91. Serum-based FTIR spectroscopy demonstrates strong potential for brain tumor diagnosis. However, further studies are required to validate its diagnostic accuracy and clinical applicability across different pathological subtypes.