Calibration Methods Used in Cancer Simulation Models and Suggested Reporting Guidelines

摘要

BackgroundIncreasingly, computer simulation models are used for economic and policy evaluation in cancer prevention and control. A model’s predictions of key outcomes such as screening effectiveness depends on the values of unobservable natural history parameters. Calibration is the process of determining the values of unobservable parameters by constraining model output to replicate observed data. Because there are many approaches for model calibration and little consensus on best practices, we surveyed the literature to catalogue the use and reporting of these methods in cancer simulation models.