Group sequential design for comparative diagnostic accuracy studies: Implications and guidelines for practitioners Journal Article


Author: Mazumdar, M.
Article Title: Group sequential design for comparative diagnostic accuracy studies: Implications and guidelines for practitioners
Abstract: Purpose. Comparative diagnostic accuracy (CDA) studies are typically small retrospective studies supporting a higher accuracy for one modality over another for either staging a particular disease or assessing response to therapy, and they are used to generate hypotheses for larger prospective trials. The purpose of this article is to introduce the group sequential design (GSD) approach in planning these larger trials. Methods. Methodology needed for using GSD in the CDA studies is recently developed. In this article, GSD with the O'Brien and Fleming (OBF) stopping rule is described and guidelines for sample size calculation are provided. Simulated data is used to demonstrate the application of GSD in the design/analysis of a clinical trial in the GDA study setting. Results. The expected sample size needed for planning a trial with GSD (under the OBF stopping rule) is slightly inflated but may ultimately result in greater savings of patient resources. Conclusion. GSD is a specialized statistical method that is helpful in balancing the ethical and financial advantages of stopping a study early against the risk of an incorrect conclusion and should be adopted for planning GDA studies.
Keywords: treatment outcome; area under the curve; comparative study; methodology; diagnostic accuracy; neoplasms; technology assessment, biomedical; tomography, x-ray computed; practice guideline; statistical analysis; confounding factors (epidemiology); data interpretation, statistical; lymphoma; positron-emission tomography; general practitioner; decision making; clinical trials; roc curve; sample size; calculation; likelihood functions; humans; article; fixed sample design; receiver operating characteristic analysis; group sequential design
Journal Title: Medical Decision Making
Volume: 24
Issue: 5
ISSN: 0272-989X
Publisher: Sage Publications  
Date Published: 2004-10-01
Start Page: 525
End Page: 533
Language: English
DOI: 10.1177/0272989x04269240
PROVIDER: scopus
PUBMED: 15359002
DOI/URL:
Notes: Med. Decis. Mak. -- Cited By (since 1996):6 -- Export Date: 16 June 2014 -- CODEN: MDMAD -- Source: Scopus
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  1. Madhu Mazumdar
    127 Mazumdar