Statistics in Oncology Series
Receiver Operating Characteristic Curve in Diagnostic Test Assessment
The performance of a diagnostic test in the case of a binary predictor can be evaluated using the measures of sensitivity and specificity. However, in many instances, we encounter predictors that are measured on a continuous or ordinal scale. In such cases, it is desirable to assess performance of a diagnostic test over the range of possible cutpoints for the predictor variable. This is achieved by a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve that includes all the possible decision thresholds from a diagnostic test result.Simple Statistical Measures for Diagnostic Accuracy Assessment
The aim of diagnostic medicine research is to estimate and compare the accuracy of diagnostic tests to provide reliable information about a patient's disease status and thereby influencing patient care. When developing screening tools, researchers evaluate the discriminating power of the screening test by using simple measures such as the sensitivity and specificity of the test, as well as the positive and negative predictive values. In this brief report, we discuss these simple statistical measures that are used to quantify the diagnostic ability of a test.
