Table 1. Definitions and Terms
Clinical utility e ability of a screening or diagnostic test to prevent or ameliorate
adverse health outcomes such as mortality, morbidity, or disability
Tumor heterogeneity Variability amongst cancer cells including cellular morpholog y,
genomic alterations, gene expression, metabolism, proliferation,
and metastatic potential
Predictive Biomarker Provides information regarding response to a specific treatment
Diagnostic Biomarker Provides information regarding the likelihood of disease presence
or absence
Prognostic Biomarker Provides information about the patient's overall cancer outcome
(e.g., disease recurrence, progression, death) independent of
treatment received
(cont'd)
Introduction
