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Comparison of estimators in nested case–control studies with multiple outcomes

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Abstract

Reuse of controls in a nested case–control (NCC) study has not been considered feasible since the controls are matched to their respective cases. However, in the last decade or so, methods have been developed that break the matching and allow for analyses where the controls are no longer tied to their cases. These methods can be divided into two groups; weighted partial likelihood (WPL) methods and full maximum likelihood methods. The weights in the WPL can be estimated in different ways and four estimation procedures are discussed. In addition, we address modifications needed to accommodate left truncation. A full likelihood approach is also presented and we suggest an aggregation technique to decrease the computation time. Furthermore, we generalize calibration for case-cohort designs to NCC studies. We consider a competing risks situation and compare WPL, full likelihood and calibration through simulations and analyses on a real data example.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mathematics, University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1053, 0316, Oslo, Norway

    Nathalie C. Støer & Sven Ove Samuelsen

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  1. Nathalie C. Støer
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  2. Sven Ove Samuelsen
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Correspondence to Nathalie C. Støer.

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Støer, N.C., Samuelsen, S.O. Comparison of estimators in nested case–control studies with multiple outcomes. Lifetime Data Anal 18, 261–283 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10985-012-9214-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10985-012-9214-8

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