Infopoints: A web-based system for individualised survival estimation in breast cancer

Abstract

On the website http://finprog.primed.info/ a selection of prognostic factors are available for case-match survival estimation (figure).* The default selection in the drop down list for each factor is “all,” which means that no selection has been made for the specific factor. The user can enter a prognostic factor profile by selecting any of the categories in the drop down lists. The software then queries the database to retrieve data on patients with matching prognostic profiles and known outcome and calculates a survival curve according to the Kaplan-Meier product-limit method using the actual survival data of all matching patients. The number of patients at risk, the confidence intervals for the Kaplan-Meier estimates, and the median survival time are also displayed. The user can compare two factor profiles by clicking the “two profiles” option. The distribution of patients according to vital status, therapy received, or a specific prognostic factor can also be displayed as a table or a chart (figure). The website also contains basic information about survival statistics and the prognostic factors, including guidelines for selecting variables and interpreting the results.