General Relative-Risk Models for Survival Time and Matched Case-Control Analysis

A general likelihood is derived for survival time and matched case-control analysis. It allows alternatives to the usual exponential dependence of relative risk on exposure variables; instead this dependence can be modelled in terms of any specific parametric function. These general relative risk models are particularly useful for study of forms of dose-response relationships with a single continuous exposure variable and forms of interactions between multiple exposure variables (continuous or discrete). Illustrative applications to data for Quebec on the risks of lung cancer in relation to smoking and asbestos exposure are presented. (summary in FRE) (EXCERPT)