Part 3 Exemplar Project – Meta-Analysis of Survival Data in Clinical Research

In this chapter, we will be implementing a real-world exemplar project using data from real clinical trials to perform the Meta-analysis. We will be using Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs) and survival data (Progression-Free Survival (PFS)), calculating risk ratios, constructing the forest plots and funnel plots, and interpreting the results. We will be discussing both biological and statistical aspects of the project. The main biological topic will be oncology and a comparison of specific treatments regarding the therapy effect on survival of non-small cell lung carcinoma (a type of lung cancer). Later, it will be shown how to implement the DerSimonian and Laird and Mentel-Haenzel estimator in a Meta-analysis and relate these to the biological research questions.

In this chapter, we’re going to cover the following main topics:

• About the project and the dataset
• Implementing...