Statistical survival analysis of male larynx‐cancer patients ‐ a case study

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Abstract
Abstract This paper deals with a concrete case: Of 90 male larynx‐cancer patients, diagnosed and treated in the period 1970–1978, either the survival time or, if the patient was still alive at the end of the study, an appropriate lower bound on it was recorded. One factor (stage of the cancer) and one covariate (age of the patient) were a priori selected as important variables possibly influencing the survival function.After an elementary analysis of the 3 and 5 year survival fractions in section 2, a nonparametric estimation of the survival functions ignoring the effect of age is presented in section 3. In the last section COX'S (1972) proportional hazards model is used for a one dimensional regression on age which leads to the estimation ofSi(tz), the survival function of patients with stageiand agez. This allows for a graphical comparison with the normal population. Finally some checks on the proportional hazard assumption are performed.The emphasis in this paper is on adequately applying and adapting (mostly existing) techniques, including the use of some generally available computer programs, to a practical case. Care has been given to model assumptions and theoretical foundations of the relevant methods.

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