Recent progresses in outcome-dependent sampling with failure time data

An outcome-dependent sampling (ODS) design is a retrospective sampling scheme where one observes the primary exposure variables with a probability that depends on the observed value of the outcome variable. When the outcome of interest is failure time, the observed data are often censored. By allowing the selection of the supplemental samples depends on whether the event of interest happens or not and oversampling subjects from the most informative regions, ODS design for the time-to-event data can reduce the cost of the study and improve the efficiency. We review recent progresses and advances in research on ODS designs with failure time data. This includes researches on ODS related designs like case–cohort design, generalized case–cohort design, stratified case–cohort design, general failure-time ODS design, length-biased sampling design and interval sampling design

Semiparametric Regression During 2003–2007

Semiparametric regression is a fusion between parametric regression and nonparametric regression and the title of a book that we published on the topic in early 2003. We review developments in the field during the five year period since the book was written. We find semiparametric regression to be a vibrant field with substantial involvement and activity, continual enhancement and widespread application

ANALYSIS OF FAILURE TIME DATA WITH MISSING AND INFORMATIVE AUXILIARY COVARIATES

In this dissertation we use Cox’s regression model to fit failure time data with continuous informative auxiliary variables in the presence of a validation subsample. The work is motivated by a common problem of missing or mismeasured covariates in survival analysis as a result of which the relative risk function is not available for all the subjects in the sample. Here we introduce a two-stage procedure for estimating the parameters in the model. We first estimate the induced relative risk function with a kernel smoother based on the validation subsample, and then improve the estimation by utilizing the information from the non-validation subsample and the auxiliary observations from the primary sample. Asymptotic normality of the proposed estimator is obtained. The proposed method allows one to efficiently model the failure time data with informative multivariate auxiliary covariate. Comparison of the proposed approach with several existing methods is made via simulations. A real dataset is analyzed to illustrate the proposed method

Marginal hazard regression for correlated failure time data with auxiliary covariates

In many biomedical studies, it is common that due to budget constraints, the primary covariate is only collected in a randomly selected subset from the full study cohort. Often, there is an inexpensive auxiliary covariate for the primary exposure variable that is readily available for all the cohort subjects. Valid statistical methods that make use of the auxiliary information to improve study efficiency need to be developed. To this end, we develop an estimated partial likelihood approach for correlated failure time data with auxiliary information. We assume a marginal hazard model with common baseline hazard function. The asymptotic properties for the proposed estimators are developed. The proof of the asymptotic results for the proposed estimators is nontrivial since the moments used in estimating equation are not martingale-based and the classical martingale theory is not sufficient. Instead, our proofs rely on modern empirical theory. The proposed estimator is evaluated through simulation studies and is shown to have increased efficiency compared to existing methods. The proposed methods are illustrated with a data set from the Framingham study