Age- and sex-adjusted performance of a colorectal cancer screening test using US census distribution
Cette étude réexamine les résultats de PREEMPT CRC, une étude observationnelle multicentrique évaluant un test sanguin de dépistage du cancer colorectal, en prenant en compte la répartition par âge et sexe de la population générale américaine
The performance of a CRC screening blood test was validated in a prospective, multicenter, observational study (PREEMPT CRC). The composition of the clinical study population can impact performance measures, potentially affecting the generalizability of the observed outcomes. We conducted a prespecified post-stratification adjustment analysis in which PREEMPT CRC performance values were adjusted to US Census age and sex distribution. The PREEMPT CRC evaluable cohort had a higher proportion of younger individuals and females than the census population. Compared to observed values, census adjustment demonstrated nominally higher CRC sensitivity (81.1% [95% confidence interval or CI, 71.3-88.1%] vs 79.2% [95% CI, 68.4-86.9%]) and advanced precancerous lesion sensitivity (13.7% [95% CI, 12.4-15.0%] vs 12.5% [95% CI, 11.3-13.8%]), with lower advanced colorectal neoplasia specificity (90.4% [95% CI, 90.0-90.7%) vs 91.5% [95% CI, 91.2-91.9%]). Negative and positive predictive values were consistent across age groups, highlighting consistent clinical interpretability of test results regardless of patient age.
Journal of the National Cancer Institute , article en libre accès, 2026