The statistical evaluation of medical tests for classification and prediction

Describes the statistical concepts and techniques for evaluating the accuracy of medical tests. Main topics include: estimation and comparison of measures of accuracy, including receiver operating characteristic curves; regression frameworks for assessing factors that influence test accuracy and for comparing tests while adjusting for such factors; and sample size calculations and other issues pertinent to study design. Problems relating to missing and imperfect reference data are discussed in detail. Additional topics include: meta-analysis for summarizing the results of multiple studies of a test; the evaluation of markers for predicting event time data; and procedures for combining the results of multiple tests to improve classification. This book will be of interest to quantitative researchers and to practicing statisticians. It also covers the theoretical foundations for statistical inference and will be of interest to academic statisticians.