A Novel Serum Biomarker, UWRLD99, Is Being Evaluated for Early

A novel serum biomarker, UWRLD99, is being evaluated for early detection of pancreatic cancer.  The concentration of UWRLD99 (measured in international units [IU] per dL) has been found to be elevated in patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma.  Test results in 200 volunteers ("healthy") and 190 patients with biopsy-proven pancreatic cancer ("diseased") are given in the figure below.  The investigators determined the sensitivity and specificity of UWRLD99 for pancreatic cancer using a cutoff of 200 IU/dL (indicated by the solid vertical line) . If they had instead used a lower cutoff as indicated by the dashed vertical line, which of the following would most likely be seen?

A) Higher number of false negatives
B) Higher positive predictive value
C) Higher sensitivity
D) Lower number of false positives
E) Lower number of true positives

Correct Answer:

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