Group comparisons in the presence of length-biased data

• Main Author: Addona, Vittorio.
• Other Authors: Wolfson, David (advisor)
• Format: Others
• Language: en
• Published: McGill University 2001
• Subjects: Statistics.
• Online Access: http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=32744

The effects of length-bias and left-truncation in survival data have been well studied in the statistical literature. To a lesser extent, the phenomena of length-bias and left-truncation have also been investigated when group comparisons are of interest. This literature examines various biases that may occur under different scenarios, and also, on occasion, proposes procedures for the estimation of covariate effects when using prevalent data. In this thesis, we review the literature concerned with the analysis of length-biased and left-truncated data, paying particular attention to the issue of group comparisons. Some shortcomings of the methods developed in the literature are pointed out. We also assess the effects of failure to recognize the presence of length-bias when performing group comparisons in natural history of disease studies. To our knowledge, this issue has not yet been addressed in the literature.