Computing Time-Dependent Covariates

There are certain situations in which you would want to compute a Cox Regression model but the proportional hazards assumption does not hold. That is, hazard ratios change across time; the values of one (or more) of your covariates are different at different time points. In such cases, you need to use an extended Cox Regression model, which allows you to specify time-dependent covariates.

In order to analyze such a model, you must first define your time-dependent covariate. (Multiple time-dependent covariates can be specified using command syntax.) To facilitate this, a system variable representing time is available. This variable is called T_. You can use this variable to define time-dependent covariates in two general ways:

• If you want to test the proportional hazards assumption with respect to a particular covariate or estimate an extended Cox regression model that allows nonproportional hazards, you can do so by defining your time-dependent covariate as a function of the time variable T_ and the covariate in question. A common example would be the simple product of the time variable and the covariate, but more complex functions can be specified as well. Testing the significance of the coefficient of the time-dependent covariate will tell you whether the proportional hazards assumption is reasonable.
• Some variables may have different values at different time periods but aren't systematically related to time. In such cases, you need to define a segmented time-dependent covariate, which can be done using logical expressions. Logical expressions take the value 1 if true and 0 if false. Using a series of logical expressions, you can create your time-dependent covariate from a set of measurements. For example, if you have blood pressure measured once a week for the four weeks of your study (identified as BP1 to BP4), you can define your time-dependent covariate as (T_ < 1) * BP1 + (T_ >= 1 & T_ < 2) * BP2 + (T_ >= 2 & T_ < 3) * BP3 + (T_ >= 3 & T_ < 4) * BP4. Notice that exactly one of the terms in parentheses will be equal to 1 for any given case and the rest will all equal 0. In other words, this function means that if time is less than one week, use BP1; if it is more than one week but less than two weeks, use BP2, and so on.

In the Compute Time-Dependent Covariate dialog box, you can use the function-building controls to build the expression for the time-dependent covariate, or you can enter it directly in the Expression for T_COV_ text area. Note that string constants must be enclosed in quotation marks or apostrophes, and numeric constants must be typed in American format, with the dot as the decimal delimiter. The resulting variable is called T_COV_ and should be included as a covariate in your Cox Regression model.