A1010
Title: Npcure: An R-package for nonparametric inference in mixture cure models - application to a cardiotoxicity dataset
Authors: Ana Lopez-Cheda - University of A Coruna (Spain) [presenting]
Ignacio Lopez-de-Ullibarri - University of A Coruna (Spain)
Maria Amalia Jacome Pumar - Universidade da Coruna (Spain)
Abstract: Mixture cure models have been widely used to analyze survival data with a cure fraction. They assume that a subgroup of the individuals under study will never experience the event (cured subjects). The goal is twofold: to study both the cure probability and the failure time of the uncured individuals through a proper survival function (latency). The R package npcure implements a completely nonparametric approach for estimating these functions in mixture cure models. Nonparametric estimators for the cure probability and the latency as functions of a covariate are provided. Bootstrap bandwidth selectors for the estimators are also included. In addition, the package implements a nonparametric covariate significance test for the cure probability, which can be applied with a continuous, discrete, or qualitative covariate. The methodology is applied to a dataset related to cardiotoxicity in breast cancer patients from the University Hospital of A Coruna.
