Cox Piecewise Constant Hazard Model with Bayesian Method

Abstract

Cox PH model is one of the survival models that is widely used for analyzing time-to-event data. Cox PH model consists of two main components, the baseline hazard consisting of time-dependent component; and the exponential function accomodating explanatory variables. The baseline hazard is not estimated in the Cox PH model, thus not accommodating the need for hazard rate estimation. Therefore, in this paper we discuss the estimation of baseline hazard through piecewise constant hazard using Bayesian method. Gamma distribution is assumed for the piecewise constant baseline hazard, and normal distribution is assumed for the regression coefficient. Sampling from the posterior is conducted using Markov chain Monte Carlo through Gibbs sampling. Echocardiogram data containing 106 observations and 6 explanatory variables were used in analysis. The result showed that the baseline hazard functions were estimated and each of parameters in the model is converged as shown by the trace plot and posterior density plot.