Evidence map›Paper›PMID 31672858›Full record

ArticleClinical chemistry2019

Inadequate Reporting of Analytical Characteristics of Biomarkers Used in Clinical Research: A Threat to Interpretation and Replication of Study Findings.

Qian Sun, Kerry J Welsh, David E Bruns, David B Sacks, Zhen Zhao

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Clinical chemistry, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 16 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
16citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

16 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

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  16. Testing COVID-19 tests faces methodological challenges.Journal of clinical epidemiology · 2020
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Qian SunDepartment of Laboratory Medicine, Clinical Center, NIH, Bethesda, MD.
Kerry J WelshDepartment of Laboratory Medicine, Clinical Center, NIH, Bethesda, MD.
David E BrunsDepartment of Pathology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA.
David B SacksDepartment of Laboratory Medicine, Clinical Center, NIH, Bethesda, MD; david.sacks2@nih.gov zhz9010@med.cornell.edu.
Zhen ZhaoDepartment of Laboratory Medicine, Clinical Center, NIH, Bethesda, MD; david.sacks2@nih.gov zhz9010@med.cornell.edu.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundAnalytical characteristics of methods to measure biomarkers determine how well the methods measure what they claim to measure. Transparent reporting of analytical characteristics allows readers to assess the validity and generalizability of clinical studies in which biomarkers are used. Our aims were to assess the reporting of analytical characteristics of biomarkers used in clinical research and to evaluate the extent of reported characterization procedures for assay precision.

methodsWe searched 5 medical journals (

resultsA total of 544 studies and 1299 biomarker uses met the inclusion criteria. No information on analytical characteristics was reported for 67% of the biomarkers. For 65 biomarkers (3%), ≥4 characteristics were reported (range, 4-8). The manufacturer of the measurement procedure could not be determined for 688 (53%) of the 1299 biomarkers. The extent of assessments of assay imprecision, when reported, did not meet expectations for clinical use of biomarkers.

conclusionsReporting of the analytical performance of biomarker measurements is variable and often absent from published clinical studies. We suggest that readers need fuller reporting of analytical characteristics to interpret study results, assess generalizability of conclusions, and compare results among clinical studies.

Indexed as

Reproducibility of ResultsBiomarkersData AnalysisHumansPublishingBiomarkers

Identifiers

PMID31672858
PMCPMC7055667

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.