Abstract
The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) has emerged as the gold standard for assessing and comparing the performance of classifiers in a wide range of disciplines including the life sciences. ROC curves are frequently summarized in a single scalar, the area under the curve (AUC). This article discusses the caveats and pitfalls of ROC analysis in clinical microarray research, particularly in relation to (i) the interpretation of AUC (especially a value close to 0.5); (ii) model comparisons based on AUC; (iii) the differences between ranking and classification; (iv) effects due to multiple hypotheses testing; (v) the importance of confidence intervals for AUC; and (vi) the choice of the appropriate performance metric. With a discussion of illustrative examples and concrete real-world studies, this article highlights critical misconceptions that can profoundly impact the conclusions about the observed performance.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | bbr008 |
| Pages (from-to) | 83-97 |
| Number of pages | 15 |
| Journal | Briefings in Bioinformatics |
| Volume | 13 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2012 Jan |
| Externally published | Yes |
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Keywords
- Area under the curve
- Microarrays
- Model evaluation
- Multiple testing
- Receiver operating characteristic
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Molecular Biology
- Information Systems
Cite this
Caveats and pitfalls of ROC analysis in clinical microarray research (and how to avoid them). / Berrar, Daniel; Flach, Peter.
In: Briefings in Bioinformatics, Vol. 13, No. 1, bbr008, 01.2012, p. 83-97.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Caveats and pitfalls of ROC analysis in clinical microarray research (and how to avoid them)
AU - Berrar, Daniel
AU - Flach, Peter
PY - 2012/1
Y1 - 2012/1
N2 - The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) has emerged as the gold standard for assessing and comparing the performance of classifiers in a wide range of disciplines including the life sciences. ROC curves are frequently summarized in a single scalar, the area under the curve (AUC). This article discusses the caveats and pitfalls of ROC analysis in clinical microarray research, particularly in relation to (i) the interpretation of AUC (especially a value close to 0.5); (ii) model comparisons based on AUC; (iii) the differences between ranking and classification; (iv) effects due to multiple hypotheses testing; (v) the importance of confidence intervals for AUC; and (vi) the choice of the appropriate performance metric. With a discussion of illustrative examples and concrete real-world studies, this article highlights critical misconceptions that can profoundly impact the conclusions about the observed performance.
AB - The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) has emerged as the gold standard for assessing and comparing the performance of classifiers in a wide range of disciplines including the life sciences. ROC curves are frequently summarized in a single scalar, the area under the curve (AUC). This article discusses the caveats and pitfalls of ROC analysis in clinical microarray research, particularly in relation to (i) the interpretation of AUC (especially a value close to 0.5); (ii) model comparisons based on AUC; (iii) the differences between ranking and classification; (iv) effects due to multiple hypotheses testing; (v) the importance of confidence intervals for AUC; and (vi) the choice of the appropriate performance metric. With a discussion of illustrative examples and concrete real-world studies, this article highlights critical misconceptions that can profoundly impact the conclusions about the observed performance.
KW - Area under the curve
KW - Microarrays
KW - Model evaluation
KW - Multiple testing
KW - Receiver operating characteristic
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UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84855679008&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1093/bib/bbr008
DO - 10.1093/bib/bbr008
M3 - Article
VL - 13
SP - 83
EP - 97
JO - Briefings in Bioinformatics
JF - Briefings in Bioinformatics
SN - 1467-5463
IS - 1
M1 - bbr008
ER -