Abstract
Diagnostic statistics such as sensitivity and specificity are widely used in the assessment of biomarkers. Interpretation of these and other statistics derived from a 2 × 2 table can be complex. The properties of the commonly used statistics are discussed. The object is to provide help in their interpretation for authors designing studies and the subsequent reporting of results and to referees and others who assess such papers.
Data availability statement
No data deposited. Data in Box 2 available in McCann and Ames paper.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.
Funding
The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.