Use of the concordance index for predictors of censored survival data

Abstract

The concordance index is often used to measure how well a biomarker predicts the time to an event. Estimators of the concordance index for predictors of right-censored data are reviewed, including those based on censored pairs, inverse probability weighting and a proportional-hazards model. Predictive and prognostic biomarkers often lose strength with time, and in this case the aforementioned statistics depend on the length of follow up. A semi-parametric estimator of the concordance index is developed that accommodates converging hazards through a single parameter in a Pareto model. Concordance index estimators are assessed through simulations, which demonstrate substantial bias of classical censored-pairs and proportional-hazards model estimators. Prognostic biomarkers in a cohort of women diagnosed with breast cancer are evaluated using new and classical estimators of the concordance index.