Dynamic prediction and analysis based on restricted mean survival time in survival analysis with nonproportional hazards

Abstract: In the process of clinical diagnosis and treatment, the restricted mean survival time (RMST), which reflects the life expectancy of patients up to a specified time, can be used as an appropriate outcome measure. However, the RMST only calculates the mean survival time of patients within a period of time after the start of follow-up and may not accurately portray the change in a patient's life expectancy over time. The life expectancy can be adjusted for the time the patient has already survived and defined as the conditional restricted mean survival time (cRMST). A dynamic RMST model based on the cRMST can be established by incorporating time-dependent covariates and covariates with time-varying effects. We analysed data from a study of primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) to illustrate the use of the dynamic RMST model. The predictive performance was evaluated using the C-index and the prediction error. The proposed dynamic RMST model, which can explore the dynamic effects of prognostic factors on survival time, has better predictive performance than the RMST model. Three PBC patient examples were used to illustrate how the predicted cRMST changed at different prediction times during follow-up. The use of the dynamic RMST model based on the cRMST allows for optimization of evidence-based decision-making by updating personalized dynamic life expectancy for patients.