Default ProdcutLimitEstimates (PROC LIFETEST)

[djbateman]

While producing a Kaplan-Meier survival plot, I added the number of patients at risk at given time points.  To get the at-risk counts, I used the default values (the LEFT variable) produced in PROC LIFETEST from the ProductLimitEstimates ODS output table:

ods output ProductLimitEstimates=ple;

proc lifetest data=efficacy timelist=(0 to 75 by 5);

      time survtime*censorflag(0);

      strata trtgrp;

run;

If a patient experiences an event at a time point cut off (say, exactly 10 weeks), then SAS does not count that patient as being at risk.  However, I have been told by both our program validator and biostatistician consultant that such patients should be counted as being at risk.  Is there an option in SAS that would allow me to specify to count those patients, or do I have to manually run the data through a loop and count them up on my own?  I was originally using SAS 9.1.3, but I was able to upgrade to SAS 9.3 this week.  Wahoo!

[Reeza · Accepted solution]

Don't have a book to double check at the moment but try changing the method to the actuarial method Method=LT in your proc lifetest statement, or add a slight 'fudge' factor, ie change 10 to 10.0001.  Or compute it manually.

[djbateman]

The fudge factor seemed to be my best bet.  Thanks!