Graduation Year

2013

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree

Ph.D.

Degree Granting Department

Mathematics and Statistics

Major Professor

Christos P. Tsokos

Keywords

Mathematical Modeling, Mortality, Parametric Analysis, Probability Distribution, Statistical Modeling, Survival Analysis

Abstract

Growth rate of prostate cancer tumor is an important aspect of understanding the natural history of prostate cancer. Using real prostate cancer data from the SEER database with tumor size as a response variable, we have clustered the cancerous tumor sizes into age groups to enhance its analytical behavior. The rate of change of the response variable as a function of age is given for each cluster. Residual analysis attests to the quality of the analytical model and the subject estimates. In addition, we have identified the probability distribution that characterize the behavior of the response variable and proceeded with basic parametric analysis.

There are several remarkable treatment options available for prostate cancer patients. In this present study, we have considered the three commonly used treatment for prostate cancer: radiation therapy, surgery, and combination of surgery and radiation therapy. The study uses data from the SEER database to evaluate and rank the effectiveness of these treatment options using survival analysis in conjunction with basic parametric analysis. The evaluation is based on the stage of the prostate cancer classification.

Improvement in prostate cancer disease can be measured by improvement in its mortality. Also, mortality projection is crucial for policy makers and the financial stability of insurance business. Our research applies a parametric model proposed by Renshaw et al. (1996) to project the force of mortality for prostate cancer. The proposed modeling structure can pick up both age and year effects.

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