title: Parametric versus non-parametric methods for estimating cure rates based on censored survival data.
abstract: If a patient's failure time is incorrectly recorded as being too early, the correction will lower the plateau of the Kaplan-Meier curve and, hence, the associated estimated cure rate. Implications of this counter-intuitive observation are discussed. In addition, a parametric approach, based on the Gompertz distribution, to the problem of cure rate estimation is presented.
authors.affiliation: University of Florida, Gainesville 32601.
authors.forename: A B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Cantor
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Shuster
mesh_terms: D015982:Bias; D006801:Humans; D016013:Likelihood Functions; D008433:Mathematics; D016019:Survival Analysis; D016896:Treatment Outcome