Biometrics. 2026 Jul 1;82(3):ujag138. doi: 10.1093/biomtc/ujag138.
ABSTRACT
Neyman-Pearson (NP) classifiers, which aim to maximize the clinical benefit while adhering to risk constraints, are crucial in many practical fields, including early cancer detection. However, applying these classifiers can be challenging due to discrepancies between the data distributions of the source and target populations. The potential impact can be disproportionately severe for under-represented groups. We propose a semi-parametric model-based approach for adapting NP classifier decision rules to different populations while equitably controlling classification errors specific to clinical applications. Our method involves a shift-adjustment strategy that leverages a small unlabeled sample from the target population, along with minimal auxiliary information and the labeled source data. This approach enhances the applicability of the learned decision rules and ensures they are consistently tailored for the target population. We demonstrate the performance through theoretical studies and simulations and illustrate the approach with an example of a prostate cancer study.
PMID:42573999 | DOI:10.1093/biomtc/ujag138
