title: Life table analysis.
abstract: Life table analysis is an effective way to present and evaluate survival data in a number of circumstances. The summary tables and survival curves that are commonly seen in the medical literature are frequently derived through life table analysis. A basic understanding of life table construction is of benefit to the medical director who wishes to abstract comparative mortality data from study reports. This article reviews the basic methodology of life table analysis with a particular focus on handling right-censored study participants as withdrawals.
authors.affiliation: Cologne Life Reinsurance, Stanford, CT 06904, 0300, USA.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wesley
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D007352:Insurance, Life / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015993:Life Tables; D012509:Sarcoma / Q000401:mortality; D016019:Survival Analysis