An R function to non-parametric and piecewise analysis of competing risks survival data

Abstract

Competing risks are frequently encountered in the analysis of survival data. Different methods of analysis can be used in estimated and comparing cumulative incidence functions provided enough information is available as to the times and causes of failure. Algorithms written in R have been developed to handle this type of data. In this paper we propose an R add-on function to the cmprsk package. This function is specifically oriented towards the non-parametric analysis of competing risk data and which provides analyses of three commonly used methods all in one program. We illustrate the use of this function with two examples in oncology and compare the estimates with those provided on the cmprsk and survival package.