A Meta-Analysis of the Relationship between Testicular Microlithiasis and Incidence of Testicular Cancer.
OBJECTIVE
There are many recent observational studies on testicular microlithiasis (TM) and risk of testicular cancer. Whether TM increases the risk of testicular cancer is still inconclusive. The objective of this updated meta-analysis was to synthesize evidence from clinical observational studies that evaluated the association between TM and testicular cancer.


METHODS
We identified eligible studies by searching the PubMed, Embase and Cochrane Library before March 2014. Adjusted relative risks (RR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated using random-or fixed-model.


RESULTS
A total of 14 studies involving 35,578 participants were included in the meta-analysis. On the basis of the Newcastle Ottawa Scale systematic review, eleven studies were identified as relatively high-quality. TM was strong association with an increased incidence of testicular cancer (RR = 12.70, 95% CI: 8.18-19.71, P < .001), with significant evidence of heterogeneity among these studies (P for heterogeneity < .001, I2 = 82.1%). The subgroup and sensitivity analysis confirmed the stability of the results and no publication bias was detected.


CONCLUSIONS
The present meta-analysis suggests that TM is significantly associated with risk of testicular cancer. More researches are warranted to clarify an understanding of the association between TM and risk of testicular cancer.
Department of Urology, Medical Center for Overseas Patients, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
Tao
T
Wang
Department of Urology, Minimally Invasive Surgery Center, the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Urology, Guangzhou, China.
LuHao
L
Liu
Department of Urology, Minimally Invasive Surgery Center, the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Urology, Guangzhou, China.
JinTai
J
Luo
Department of Esophagus, Mediastinal Oncosurgery, the Affiliated Tumor Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
TaiSheng
T
Liu
Department of Urology, Medical Center for Overseas Patients, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China. profwei@126.com.
AnYang
A
Wei
D002137:Calculi / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology; D014943:Global Health; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D009373:Neoplasms, Germ Cell and Embryonal / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D012307:Risk Factors; D013733:Testicular Diseases / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology; D013736:Testicular Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology