Increasing power and robustness in screening trials by testing stored specimens in the control arm
Hormuzd A. Katki, Li C. Cheung · 2026
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Description
Hormuzd A. Katki and Li C. Cheung published a 2026 methods paper strengthening a design meant to make cancer screening trials smaller and faster. Their Intended Effect design tests stored blood or tissue from the control group later, restricting analysis to people who would test positive, where screening can act. Simulations tested cheaper sampling, signal decay in stored specimens, and missed collections.
Testing all specimens from people with the main outcome plus half of the rest kept nearly all the design's power while halving the testing load. Power usually stayed above a standard analysis even if screening falsely reassured some negative testers, the authors report. Missed control collections could bias results, yet corrections restored accuracy, supporting a planned pilot in a multicancer detection trial.
Catalog record
| CREATOR | Hormuzd A. Katki, Li C. Cheung |
|---|---|
| YEAR | 2026 |
| COLLECTION | PAPERS |
| FORMAT | TXT |
| FILE SIZE | 41130 |
| LICENSE | https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 |
| RIGHTS | CC BY |
| SOURCE | Europe PMC |