Estimation in a competing risks proportional hazards model under length-biased sampling with censoring

Lifetime Data Anal. 2014 Apr;20(2):276-302. doi: 10.1007/s10985-013-9248-6. Epub 2013 Mar 3.

Abstract

What population does the sample represent? The answer to this question is of crucial importance when estimating a survivor function in duration studies. As is well-known, in a stationary population, survival data obtained from a cross-sectional sample taken from the population at time t(0) represents not the target density f (t) but its length-biased version proportional to t f (t), for t > 0. The problem of estimating survivor function from such length-biased samples becomes more complex, and interesting, in presence of competing risks and censoring. This paper lays out a sampling scheme related to a mixed Poisson process and develops nonparametric estimators of the survivor function of the target population assuming that the two independent competing risks have proportional hazards. Two cases are considered: with and without independent censoring before length biased sampling. In each case, the weak convergence of the process generated by the proposed estimator is proved. A well-known study of the duration in power for political leaders is used to illustrate our results. Finally, a simulation study is carried out in order to assess the finite sample behaviour of our estimators.

MeSH terms

  • Bias
  • Computer Simulation
  • Humans
  • Life Tables
  • Monte Carlo Method
  • Proportional Hazards Models*
  • Risk*
  • Statistics, Nonparametric
  • Survival Analysis