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The positive predictive value for the prostate-specific antigen test for prostate cancer is only 30%. This means that only 30% of people who test positive for e
by sghodas 11y ago
The positive predictive value for the prostate-specific antigen test for prostate cancer is only 30%. This means that only 30% of people who test positive for elevated levels of prostate-specific antigen actually have prostate cancer. This is an intrinsic problem with testing for prostate-specific antigen not with Theranos' testing.
- sk5t 11y agoThis would suggest that one cannot draw a definite conclusion from the test result. Not that the test result itself should fluctuate wildly.
- danieltillett 11y agoThe issue is not how accurate the PSA test is for detecting prostate cancer, but that Theranos’ tests give wildly different results to everyone else’s FDA approved tests.
- srunni 11y agoA great book was published on this topic 2 months ago, called Risky Medicine: http://www.amazon.com/Risky-Medicine-Quest-Cure-Uncertainty-ebook/dp/B013LO4EL2 http://www.amazon.com/Risky-Medicine-Quest-Cure-Uncertainty-... Podcast interview of the author, released yesterday: http://www.econtalk.org/archives/2015/11/robert_aronowit.html http://www.econtalk.org/archives/2015/11/robert_aronowit.htm...