A Novel Serum Biomarker, UWRLD99, Is Being Evaluated for Early

question 92

Multiple Choice

A novel serum biomarker, UWRLD99, is being evaluated for early detection of pancreatic cancer.  The concentration of UWRLD99 (measured in international units [IU] per dL) has been found to be elevated in patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma.  Test results in 200 volunteers ("healthy") and 190 patients with biopsy-proven pancreatic cancer ("diseased") are given in the figure below.  The investigators determined the sensitivity and specificity of UWRLD99 for pancreatic cancer using a cutoff of 200 IU/dL (indicated by the solid vertical line) . If they had instead used a lower cutoff as indicated by the dashed vertical line, which of the following would most likely be seen?

• A)Higher number of false negatives
• B)Higher positive predictive value
• C)Higher sensitivity
• D)Lower number of false positives
• E)Lower number of true positives

---

Definitions:

Variable Production Cost

Costs that vary directly with the level of production output, including raw materials, direct labor, and other expenses that increase with production volume.

Sales Price

Sales Price is the amount of money charged for a product or service in the market.

Net Operating Income

A financial metric that calculates a company's profit after subtracting operating expenses but before interest and taxes.

Line Chart

A type of chart which displays information as a series of data points called 'markers' connected by straight line segments.