Journal article
The effects of different methods of accounting for observations from euthanized animals in survival analysis
Preventive veterinary medicine, Vol.48(2), pp.143-154
2001
PMID: 11154786
Abstract
The issue of euthanasia is unique to veterinary clinical studies evaluating survival time. The decision to euthanize an animal is based on several factors including the health of the animal but also age and cost of treatment. The literature shows inconsistent methods used to account for observations from euthanized animals. Also, over 50% and up to 100% of animals in many studies have been euthanized.
Our study illustrates the effects of different methods of accounting for observations from euthanized animals in survival analysis. Three data sets with different proportions of outcomes (alive, lost-to-follow-up, dead due to disease of interest, dead due to other disease, euthanized due to disease of interest, euthanized due to other disease) were used. Each data set was stratified according to treatment or a group characteristic (e.g. tumor type). Our methods for accounting for observations from euthanized animals were established from methods used in the literature and included right-censoring. Kaplan–Meier product-limit survival-function estimation was performed on each data set.
Different methods resulted in inconsistent conclusions of significant differences between strata. At times, the ranking of the estimates of median survival time for strata was reversed. Right-censoring and use of Kaplan–Meier methods is inappropriate to evaluate observations from euthanized animals because censoring of such observations is informative. The current methods used by clinical investigators are inadequate to measure survival time reliably.
Details
- Title
- The effects of different methods of accounting for observations from euthanized animals in survival analysis
- Authors/Creators
- Giselle Hosgood - Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USADaniel T Scholl - Department of Epidemiology and Community Health, School of Veterinary Medicine, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA
- Publication Details
- Preventive veterinary medicine, Vol.48(2), pp.143-154
- Publisher
- Elsevier B.V
- Identifiers
- 991005592654207891
- Copyright
- © 2001 Elsevier Science B.V.
- Murdoch Affiliation
- School of Veterinary Medicine
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article
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- 3 Agriculture, Environment & Ecology
- 3.232 Veterinary Sciences
- 3.232.1120 Veterinary Oncology
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- Plant & Animal Science