Random Effects Models for Multivariate Survival Data: Hierarchical-Likelihood Approach

Modelling the dependence via random effects in censored multivariate survival data has recently received considerable attention in the biomedical literature. The random effects models model not only the conditional survival times but also the conditional hazard rate. Systematic likelihood inference for the models with random effects is possible using Lee and Nelder's (1996) hierarchical-likelihood (h-likelihood). The purpose of this presentation is to introduce Ha et al.'s (2000a,b) inferential methods for the random effects models via the h-likelihood, which provide a conceptually simple, numerically efficient and reliable inferential procedures.