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Waterfall Plot — SCE Medical Oncology MCQ

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EasyClinical Trials & StatisticsWaterfall PlotSCE Medical Oncology

A clinical trial reports a 'waterfall plot' of tumour responses. Some patients show >30% tumour shrinkage (partial response), some show <20% growth (stable disease), and a few show >20% growth (progressive disease). What does a waterfall plot display?

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Correct answer: D — Best percentage change in target lesion size for each patient — visualising the depth and distribution of treatment response across the study population

A waterfall plot displays the best percentage change in target lesion sum from baseline for each individual patient, arranged from largest decrease to largest increase. It provides an intuitive visual overview of treatment activity: bars below zero represent tumour shrinkage, bars above represent growth. It is complementary to ORR/DCR summary statistics by showing the continuous distribution of responses. Horizontal lines typically mark the -30% (partial response) and +20% (progressive disease) RECIST thresholds.

Reference: JRCPTB Curriculum; RECIST 1.1; ESMO Clinical Trial Methodology