A comparison of disease specific survival of patients who died of and who had newly diagnosed prostate cancer.
OBJECTIVE
We investigated the validity of calculating prostate specific survival from a population of deaths occurring during a given period.


METHODS
Stochastic simulation was used to generate a large number of life histories of men with prostate cancer.


RESULTS
The investigated method of calculating survival can lead to different outcomes compared to the standard method. In an example with a Dutch population structure the investigated method leads to strong underestimation of 25 years of survival.


CONCLUSIONS
The method of calculating survival studied is theoretically not valid. Several probable changes in the population can produce results that are different from the standard method of calculating survival.
Boer
R
R
Department of Public Health, Erasmus University Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
de Koning
H J
HJ
Beemsterboer
P M
PM
Warmerdam
P G
PG
Schroeder
F H
FH
D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate; D013997:Time Factors