1932

Abstract

The concept of early detection of cancer holds great promise and intuitive appeal. However, powerful biases can mislead clinicians when evaluating the efficacy of screening tests by clinical observation alone. Selection bias, lead-time bias, length-biased sampling, and overdiagnosis are counterintuitive concepts with critical implications for early-detection efforts. This article explains these biases and other common confounders in cancer screening. The most direct and reliable way to avoid being led astray by intuitions is through the use of randomized controlled trials.

Loading

Article metrics loading...

/content/journals/10.1146/annurev.med.60.101107.134802
2009-02-18
2024-03-19
Loading full text...

Full text loading...

/content/journals/10.1146/annurev.med.60.101107.134802
Loading
/content/journals/10.1146/annurev.med.60.101107.134802
Loading

Data & Media loading...

  • Article Type: Review Article
This is a required field
Please enter a valid email address
Approval was a Success
Invalid data
An Error Occurred
Approval was partially successful, following selected items could not be processed due to error