title: Alternative Ways to Quantify Sustained Remission: Applying the Continuity Rewarded Score and Patient Vector Graph.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Although the Computer Assisted Management in Early Rheumatoid Arthritis Trial-II (CAMERA-II) showed favorable clinical effects in the most intensive methotrexate (MTX)-based strategy with prednisone (MTX ± prednisone) compared to that with placebo (MTX + placebo), this beneficial difference was only seen in 1 of the 3 analyses of remission. Our objective was to investigate whether the Continuity Rewarded (ConRew) score and a simple sum score would better reveal differences regarding remission between the 2 treatment arms of CAMERA-II. Furthermore, we investigated whether the patient vector graph, which plots on patient level, would add visual information on remission compared to a conventional box plot only, which displays data on the group level.
  
  
  METHODS
  The ConRew method, which awards continuous periods of remission with a higher score, was applied, in addition to a simple sum score of remission periods of 4 weeks. A patient vector graph was compared with box plots.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Both the mean ± SD simple sum score and the ConRew score of remission were significantly higher (favorable) in the MTX + prednisone strategy group versus the MTX + placebo group, respectively: 9 ± 7 versus 12 ± 8; P = 0.003, and 23 ± 16 versus 17 ± 14; P = 0.004. The patient vector graphs show a visual pattern of more and longer periods of remission in the MTX + prednisone strategy and visually add information to the box plots.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The simple sum of remission periods, the ConRew score, and the patient vector graph add understanding and discrimination to the analysis of the remission outcome in CAMERA-II.
authors.affiliation: University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Maud S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Jurgens
authors.affiliation: University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Johannes W G
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Jacobs
authors.affiliation: VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Maarten
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Boers
authors.affiliation: University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Marlies C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: van der Goes
authors.affiliation: St. Jansdal Hospital, Harderwijk, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Maaike J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: van der Veen
authors.affiliation: University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Floris P J G
authors.initials: FP
authors.lastname: Lafeber
authors.affiliation: University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Johannes W J
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Bijlsma
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003626:Data Display / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008727:Methotrexate / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010147:Pain Measurement; D011241:Prednisone / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D011379:Prognosis; D012074:Remission Induction; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D011241:Prednisone; D008727:Methotrexate