title: The succession procedure for interim analysis: extensions for early acceptance of Ho and for flexible times of analysis.
abstract: The succession procedure is a new method for group sequential analysis based on a succession of significant tests. In this paper, the procedure is extended by the addition of a lower boundary, which allows the early acceptance of the null hypothesis Ho according to the stochastic curtailing approach. The succession procedure is also adapted to the type I error spending rate function alpha *(t), leading to the method of semisequential analysis for which the times of analysis need not be specified in advance.
authors.affiliation: INSERM U 169, Vuillejuif, France.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Falissard
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lellouch
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D017024:Chemotherapy, Adjuvant; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D004067:Digestive System Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy; D006801:Humans; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012142:Respiratory Tract Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy; D012984:Software; D013997:Time Factors