Pembrolizumab in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: The Role of Restricted Mean Survival Time in Estimating The Long-Term Survival Benefit

Abstract

In comparison with the median, the restricted mean survival time (RMST) has a specific advantage because it examines the whole survival curve (like the hazard ratio) and expresses the survival outcomes using time as unit of measurement (like medians). More importantly, the RMST captures the presence of a long-term survival plateau indicating a better prognosis. Previous experiences on the application of RMST are mostly focused on oncology [1] but other fields are being investigated as well [2]. An original model-independent method of calculation, drawn from the field of pharmacokinetics, has markedly simplified the otherwise complex estimation of RMST [3,4].