Competing risks
Set up, run, and review this analysis in Lifescio.
Supported analysis
Use cause 0 for censoring and positive integers for event types. The app constructs Aalen–Johansen cumulative incidence while preserving tied event times. Optional cause-specific Cox models use the additional numeric covariates.
Supported scope: Causes must be mutually exclusive first events and censoring appropriately independent. The regression option is cause-specific Cox, not Fine–Gray subdistribution regression. Censoring competing events in ordinary Kaplan–Meier does not estimate cumulative incidence.
Prepare data and configure the analysis
Enter positive Time, integer Cause, and optional numeric covariates. Cause 0 means censoring; positive integers identify distinct event types. When Cause-specific Cox regression is off, the cumulative incidence calculation pools all rows regardless of treatment columns.
To fit regression, turn it on, choose a cause with observed events, and provide at least one covariate after the cause column. Other event types are treated as censored at their event times for this cause-specific hazard model. This is not Fine–Gray regression.
Input reference (4 fields)
Enter your data and prespecified choices. Ranges include both limits. For table fields, use cell editing, Paste data, or Import CSV / TSV. Review whether the first imported row contains headings and map the source columns before applying the import. Empty numeric cells are not treated as zero. Open file is for an exported Lifescio analysis JSON file, not a spreadsheet.
| Input | Format | Allowed range | Guidance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Competing event observations | Table | — | Cause 0 is censored, positive integers identify causes. Remaining columns are optional covariates. Columns in order: Time; Cause; Treatment. |
| Cause for regression | Whole number | 1–20 | — |
| Cause-specific Cox regression | Selection | — | Choices: off, on. |
| Significance level | Number | 0.001–0.2 | — |
Run and review
- Give the analysis a descriptive name and review every example value. Record units, data preparation, and planning assumptions in Reproducibility & notes. For simulations, record the seed and replication or sampling settings.
- Choose Run analysis. Resolve input errors before interpreting output. In the connected app, a run uses a saved input revision; local preview runs need the page to stay open.
- Review Diagnostics for method limitations, warnings, and available numerical checks. A completed run means computation finished; it does not establish that the assumptions fit your study.
- Use the Result table selector to inspect each output. Editing inputs does not recalculate existing results: an earlier-input notice means you need to run again to obtain matching results.
Understand the outputs
Cumulative incidence reports event-free survival and a column for each observed cause. The plot displays pooled cumulative incidence curves, not separate curves by treatment group.
With regression enabled, additional Cox and proportional-hazards tables describe the selected cause, with covariates labeled in input order. Interpret their hazard ratios conditionally among event-free individuals. The workflow does not provide cumulative-incidence confidence bands or a between-group cumulative-incidence test.
Troubleshooting and common mistakes
If the selected cause has no events, verify the coding or choose an observed cause; do not relabel censoring as an event. Noninteger causes and nonpositive times are invalid.
If you expected treatment-specific incidence curves, note that adding a treatment covariate does not stratify the descriptive curve. Regression and pooled absolute-risk estimation are different outputs. A sparse selected cause may require a simpler model or additional evidence.
After correcting inputs, run again and check that the results belong to the new input snapshot. Increasing simulation draws improves numerical precision only; it does not repair invalid data or an unsuitable model.
Save, compare, and export
In the connected app, Save analysis retains the inputs in your account. Run history lets you inspect earlier runs, each with the input revision it used. In local preview, Save analysis downloads an input file instead; download results before leaving the page.
Use Result + inputs for a JSON archive containing the completed result and its inputs, Download CSV for the selected result table, PDF report for a report, and a chart's SVG button for its figure. Table displays round to three decimals; CSV and JSON exports retain calculation precision. Use those values when assessing a result near a decision boundary.
To reopen an archive, select the matching analysis method and choose Open file. Imported inputs start a new draft; a result archive can also display its retained result. It does not attach itself to an existing account analysis or recompute the result. Save or run the imported draft when you want a new account record.