title: Parametric modeling of localized melanoma prognosis and outcome.
abstract: This investigation explored the most suitable parametric model for melanoma prognosis and compared it with the Cox model. Cox-Snell residuals and survival function plots were applied to assess whether the generalized gamma (GG) model was the best-fit parametric model for the data. The GG model is a powerful alternative to the Cox model in prognostic modeling. The GG model offers an advantage of explicit and flexible individualized hazard functions over the Cox model and provides a clinically useful risk assessment over time to aid clinicians in formulating patient treatment, follow-up plans, and clinical trial design and analysis.
authors.affiliation: Biostatistics and Bioinformatics Unit, Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Alabama 35294-3300, USA.
authors.forename: Shouluan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ding
authors.forename: Seng-Jaw
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Soong
authors.forename: Hui-Yi
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Renee
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Desmond
authors.forename: Charles M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Balch
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D019992:Databases as Topic; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D016013:Likelihood Functions; D008297:Male; D008545:Melanoma / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D008875:Middle Aged; D015233:Models, Statistical; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D016019:Survival Analysis; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome