A clinical trial is looking at the use of five distinct biomarkers for detecting Barrett esophagus (BE), the only known precursor lesion of esophageal cancer. Researchers assess each biomarker's performance and offer estimates of sensitivity, specificity, and area under the curve (AUC). Which biomarker is the most reliable?

Question

A clinical trial is looking at the use of five distinct biomarkers for detecting Barrett esophagus (BE), the only known precursor lesion of esophageal cancer. Researchers assess each biomarker's performance and offer estimates of sensitivity, specificity, and area under the curve (AUC).   Which biomarker is the most reliable?

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Eductional Objective: The accuracy of screening or diagnostic tests is quantified by the area under the area under the ROC curve (AUC).  The more accurate the test is (ie, higher sensitivity and specificity), the closer the AUC value is to 1.0.  Tests with higher AUCs are more accurate than tests with lower AUCs.

A Clinical Trial Is Looking at the Use of Five