Survival Analysis of Breast Cancer Patients in Ghana: Using the Non Parametric and Parametric Approaches.

Abstract

This thesis present the fundamental concept of the non-parametric method which is the Kaplan-Meier and Log-rank test and the Parametric Proportional Hazard models which are Exponential, Weibull and the Gompertz proportional model. The paper applied survival methods to breast cancer patients data from the Korle Bu teaching and Effia Nkwanta Hospital. The main objective is to become familiar with the risk factors associated to early death of breast cancer patients. The proportionality assumptions was assessed and some model diagnostics were made with some graphical presentations. The proportionality assumption was satisfied and the models were compared by the AIC values. Weibull proportional hazard model recorded the lowest AIC value making it a better model to fit the data set. The thesis considered the variables treatment, type of cancer, HER2 ,HR, lymph node, lymph number, metastasis, tumor size, grades, menopause ,age and stages. The variable age, stages and tumor size was significant at 0.05 significant level. We suggest that proportionality assumption should be assessed and other less popular PH models should be considered to provide the best fitted models and hence a better prediction.