A status report on free-response analysis

The purpose of this paper is to summarise recent progress in free-response receiver operating characteristic (FROC) methodology. These are: (1) jackknife alternative FROC analysis including recent extensions and alternative methods; (2) the search-model simulator that enables validation and objective comparison of different methods of analysing the data; (3) case-based analysis that has the potential of greater clinical relevance than conventional free-response analysis; (4) a method for collectively analysing the multiple lesion types in an image (e.g. microcalcifications, masses and architectural distortions); (5) a method for sample-size estimation for FROC studies; and (6) a method for determining an objective proximity criterion, namely how close must a mark be to a true lesion in order to credit the observer for a true localisation. FROC analysis is being increasingly used to evaluate the imaging systems and understanding of recent progress should help researchers conduct better FROC studies.