Biostats Night School Lesson 10: Survival Analysis

How long can you go with treatment A versus treatment B?

Jul 07, 2025

∙ Paid

It is a truth universally acknowledged that any topic with the word "survival" in it sounds a bit dramatic. You might be picturing extreme reality shows or apocalyptic scenarios. But don’t worry, survival analysis in statistics is a little more civilized than that. No one’s fending off zombies here. We are just trying to figure out how long it takes for something (anything) to happen.

This "something" could be how long a patient lives after treatment, how many months a smoker stays cigarette-free after quitting, or when a disease might decide to make an unwelcome comeback. In public health, survival analysis is a way of asking, "How much time do we have?" and then making important decisions based on the answer.

A black and white cartoon shows two anthropomorphic letters, A and B, standing in a dense jungle. Both characters wear survival gear, including boots, belts, and utility pouches. The letter A has a wide-brimmed hat, walking stick, and a sheathed knife, while B wears a bandana and holds a large machete. Predators with glowing eyes, including a tiger, snake, and crocodile, lurk in the trees and grass behind them. — Who will survive? Treatment A or Treatment B?

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