Abstract
Patients with bone metastases are at risk for a variety of skeletal complications (1), each of which can lead to a significant reduction in patient quality of life and considerable expense to the health care system. Skeletal complications are multifactorial in nature and typically include vertebral fractures, nonvertebral fractures, spinal cord compression, episodes of bone pain requiring radiation therapy, and surgery for the prevention or treatment of fractures. Each of these complications can occur repeatedly over time. The mechanisms causing skeletal complications are complex biological processes. The objective of this chapter is to discuss some statistical concepts for the analysis of the clinical complications resulting from metastases to bone and some basic methods of analysis. Concepts to be discussed include the use of composite end points, the analysis of recurrent clinical events, heterogeneity in the clinical course of bone complications, and the need to address the link between the propensity for bone complications and survival time.
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© 2005 Humana Press Inc., Totowa, NJ
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Major, P.P., Cook, R.J. (2005). Challenges and Strategies in the Analysis of Multiple Events in Oncology. In: Singh, G., Rabbani, S.A. (eds) Bone Metastasis. Cancer Drug Discovery and Development. Humana Press. https://doi.org/10.1385/1-59259-892-7:191
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1385/1-59259-892-7:191
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