Censoring for Loss to Follow-up in Time-to-event Analyses of Composite Outcomes or in the Presence of Competing Risks.

ABSTRACT:

Background

In time-to-event analyses, there is limited guidance on when persons who are lost to follow-up (LTFU) should be censored.

Methods

We simulated bias in risk estimates for: (1) a composite event of measured (outcome only observable in a patient encounter) and captured events (outcome observable outside a patient encounter); and a (2) measured or (3) captured event in the presence of a competing event of the other type, under three censoring strategies: (i) censor at the last study encounter; (ii) censor when LTFU definition is met; and (iii) a new, hybrid censoring strategy. We demonstrate the real-world impact of this decision by estimating: (1) time to acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) diagnosis or death, (2) time to initiation of antiretroviral therapy (

SUBMITTER: Lesko CR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6768756 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature