A Study on the Group Sequential Methods for Comparing Survival Distributions in Clinical Trials

  • Jae Won Lee (Department of Statistics, Korea University)
  • Published : 1998.08.01

Abstract

In many clinical trials, we are interested in comparing the failure time distribution of different treatment groups. Because of ethical and economic reasons, clinical trials need to be monitored for early dramatic benefits or potential harmful effects. Prior knowledge, evolving knowledge, statistical considerations, medical judgment and ethical principles are all involved in the decision to terminate a trial early, and thus the monitoring is usually carried out by an independent scientific committee. This paper reviews the recently proposed group sequential testing procedures for clinical trials with survival data. Design considerations of such clinical trials are also discussed. This paper compares the characteristics of each of these methods and provides the biostatisticians with the guidelines for choosing the appropriate group sequential methods in a given situation.

Keywords

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