JNCI news brief: Improving the biomarker pipeline for early cancer detection
2009 JUL 26 - (NewsRx.com) -- Several statistical and biological issues need to be addressed in order to improve biomarker identification for early detection of cancer, according to a commentary published online July 2 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. The biomarker pipeline to develop and evaluate cancer screening tests includes the identification of promising biomarkers to detect cancers early and the initial and definitive evaluation of biomarkers for cancer screening. In the commentary, Stuart G. Baker, ScD, of the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Md., discusses the various ways to improve this pipeline, including the need for more frequent specimen collection to help identify promising biomarkers and the use of the paired availability design, in which data are collected on the number of interval cases associated with screening in time periods before and after the introduction of the new biomarker test. "…[S]ome important design and analysis considerations related to this biomarker pipeline have been underappreciated, insufficiently disseminated, or not previously discussed," the author writes. "By taking these considerations into account, researchers can improve this biomarker pipeline." Keywords: Cancer, Cancer Detection, Medical Device, Oncology, Journal of the National Cancer Institute. This article was prepared by Medical Devices & Surgical Technology Week editors from staff and other reports. Copyright 2009, Medical Devices & Surgical Technology Week via NewsRx.com.
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