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

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