title: Estimation for the optimal combination of markers without modeling the censoring distribution.
abstract: In the time-dependent receiver operating characteristic curve analysis with several baseline markers, research interest focuses on seeking appropriate composite markers to enhance the accuracy in predicting the vital status of individuals over time. Based on censored survival data, we proposed a more flexible estimation procedure for the optimal combination of markers under the validity of a time-varying coefficient generalized linear model for the event time without restrictive assumptions on the censoring pattern. The consistency of the proposed estimators is also established in this article. In contrast, the inverse probability weighting (IPW) approach might introduce a bias when the selection probabilities are misspecified in the estimating equations. The performance of both estimation procedures are examined and compared through a class of simulations. It is found from the simulation study that the proposed estimators are far superior to the IPW ones. Applying these methods to an angiography cohort, our estimation procedure is shown to be useful in predicting the time to all-cause and coronary artery disease related death.
authors.affiliation: Department of Mathematics, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan. chiangct@ntu.edu.tw
authors.forename: Chin-Tsang
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Chiang
authors.forename: Shr-Yan
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Huang
mesh_terms: D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis*; D001699:Biometry / Q000379:methods*; D002423:Cause of Death; D003198:Computer Simulation; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000401:mortality; D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D006801:Humans; D011336:Probability; D016019:Survival Analysis; D013995:Time
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers