The study of the estimation of Survival Analysis: its importance in medical specialties
LETTER TO THE EDITOR

 

The study of the estimation of Survival Analysis: its importance in medical specialties

El estudio de la estimación del Análisis de Supervivencia: su importancia en las especialidades médicas

 

José Luis Matos Ojeda1*http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8927-6606
Libia Rosa Águila Crespo2 http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4917-8681
Imirsy Rodríguez Soto1 http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4839-6863

 

1 Villa Clara University of Medical Sciences. School of Medicine. Cuba.
2 Villa Clara University of Medical Sciences. Faculty of dentistry. Cuba.

 

* Author for correspondence. Email: joselmo@infomed.sld.cu

 

 

Submitted:
Accepted:

 

 

To the editor:

When examining postgraduate programs in medical specialties, those who subscribe have been able to verify that the research does not include studies related to the estimation of survival analyzes as a bio-statistical method; however, in publications found on the pages of Infomed, articles containing this type of analysis have been identified.

According to Gramatges Ortiz,(1) when carrying out survival analysis, the interest is focused on a group or several groups of individuals for which an event is defined, often called failure, which occurs after an interval of time, called the time of failure. This author refers that to determine the failure time there are three requirements: an initial time, which must be unequivocally defined; a scale to measure the course of time and be clear about what is meant by an event. The statistical treatment of this time is known as survival analysis.

It is worth noting that in recent years, some authors(2,3) estimate the probability of survival (Kaplan-Meier), other researchers(4) also compare the survival of groups of patients with statistical tests (log rank, Breslow, Cox-Mantel) and also identify the factors associated with survival (Cox regression),(5) which infers the need to learn this topic so necessary for health professionals.

Survival analysis is very useful in clinical research and its applications in the field of medicine are numerous. Its uses are varied, including the assessment or evaluation of the effectiveness of therapeutic modalities. For further study on the subject, the article published by Gramatges Ortiz(1) of the Institute of Hematology and Immunology «Application and techniques of survival analysis in clinical research» is recommended, due to the precision and clarity with which it addresses the application of this method.

Considering the foregoing, we suggest that the subject related to the study of methods for the estimation, comparison and association of factors in survival studies be addressed in upgrading courses for residents of different specialties and the rest of the professionals who require it, in order to its application in clinical and epidemiological research.

 

BIBLIOGRAPHIC REFERENCES

1. Gramatges Ortiz A. Aplicación y técnicas del análisis de supervivencia en las investigaciones clínicas. Rev Cubana Hematol Inmunol Hemoter [Internet]. 2002 [citado 30/06/2019];18(2):[aprox. 14 p.]. Disponible en: http://bvs.sld.cu/revistas/hih/vol18_2_02/hih04202.htm

2. Berchi Aguilar A, Torres Ajá L, Bernal Valladares E, Collazo Cuellar D, Caballero Aja N. Supervivencia de pacientes con cáncer de mama a diez años de la cirugía. Medisur [Internet]. 2016 [citado 06/06/2019];14(5):[aprox. 9 p.]. Disponible en: http://scielo.sld.cu/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1727-897X2016000500008&lng=es

3. Bobadilla Más A, Esperón Noa R, Mora Díaz IB, Silveira Pablos JM, Linchenat Lambert A, Montero León JF. Mortalidad postquirúrgica y sobrevida en pacientes con cáncer cervical tratadas con cirugía radical. Rev Haban Cienc Med [Internet]. 2014 [citado 06/06/2019];13(1):[aprox. 10 p.]. Disponible en: http://scielo.sld.cu/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1729-519X2014000100005&lng=es

4. Hernández Díaz D, Alegret Rodríguez M. Supervivencia en el cáncerpulmonar: una necesidad de los  servicios de salud en Villa Clara. Medicentro Electron [Internet]. 2012 [citado /06/06/2019];16(3):[aprox. 11 p.]. Disponible en: http://medicentro.vcl.sld.cu/paginas%20de%20acceso/Sumario/ano%202012/v16n3a12/supervivencia.htm

5. Rodríguez Sarria YM, Delisle Ureña G, Sagaró del Campo NM, Escalona Fonseca M. Factores pronósticos y supervivencia de mujeres con cáncer de mama en Santiago de Cuba. Medisan [Internet]. 2018 [citado 06/06/2019];22(5):[aprox. 6 p.]. Disponible en: http://scielo.sld.cu/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1029-30192018000500004&lng=es

 

 

Declaration of interests

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

 

 

Contribution of the authors

All the authors reviewed the specialized bibliography, analyzed it and issued their criteria on the subject.

 

 

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