Dangers of Using "Optimal" Cutpoints in the Evaluation of Prognostic Factors
Abstract
Douglas G. Altman, Berthold Lausen, Willi Sauerbrei, Martin Schumacher; Dangers of Using “Optimal” Cutpoints in the Evaluation of Prognostic Factors, JNCI: Jour
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Grouping choices may have important consequences for later analyses.
“Grouping choices may have important consequences for later analyses [ 81 , 82 ].”
From Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE): Explanation and Elaboration (2007) · cites this paper as [81]
If cut-points are chosen to minimise a P value, the true strength of an association will be exaggerated.
“In particular, if the cut-points were chosen to minimise a P value the true strength of an association will be exaggerated [ 81 ].”
From Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE): Explanation and Elaboration (2007) · cites this paper as [81]
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- Authors
- Altman, D. G., Lausen, B., Sauerbrei, W., & Schumacher, M.
- Affiliations
- Forschungsinstitut für Kinderernährung (DE)
- University of Freiburg (DE)
- Corresponding author
- Altman, D. G.
- Venue
- JNCI Journal of the National Cancer Institute
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press (OUP)
- Published
- 1994-06-01
- Volume
- 86
- Issue
- 11
- Pages
- 829-835
- ISSN
- 0027-8874 (ISSN-L)
- 1460-2105
- OpenAlex
- W2028896946
- Cited by
- 1,143
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2026: 38 · 2025: 19 · 2024: 20 · 2023: 37 · 2022: 36 · 2021: 56 · 2020: 51 · 2019: 33 · 2018: 42 · 2017: 48 · 2016: 46 · 2015: 48 · 2014: 73 · 2013: 48 · 2012: 39
- FWCI
- 23.42
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- JNCI Journal of the National Cancer Institute (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- FreiDok plus (Universitätsbibliothek Freiburg) (submittedVersion)
- Open Access at Essex (University of Essex) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Mathematics › Statistics and Probability › Statistical Methods in Epidemiology
- Physical Sciences › Mathematics › Statistics and Probability › Statistical Methods and Inference
- Physical Sciences › Mathematics › Statistics and Probability › Statistical Methods in Clinical Trials
- Keywords
- prognostic factors, receiver operating characteristic, misclassification
- MeSH terms
- Breast Neoplasms, Female, Humans, Neoplasms, Prognosis, Severity of Illness Index, Statistics as Topic, Survival Analysis, S Phase
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