Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge / 2010 / iii / Paper 34 / 5 / Solution

For the distinct observed event times $a_k$, let $i_k=\pi (a_k)$ and let $R_k$ be the risk set immediately before that event. The Cox partial likelihood isThe different risk sets already incorporate each event and any intervening censoring. Differentiating this log-likelihood givesTherefore a finite interior maximum-likelihood estimate from the Cox partial likelihood satisfies the first-order conditionMoreoverEach summand is the conditional event-covariate variance, so the partial likelihood is log-concave. If some informative risk set has unequal covariates, the curvature is strictly negative and an existing finite root is the unique maximizer.

The finite-interior qualification is necessary. With two at-risk subjects having covariates zero and one, suppose the subject with covariate one is the sole observed event and the other is subsequently censored. Then $L_p(\beta )=e^{\beta }/(1+e^{\beta })$ increases strictly and has its supremum only as $\beta \to +\infty$; the score $1/(1+e^{\beta })$ has no finite zero. If every event risk set has identical covariates, the coefficient is instead unidentifiable and the score is identically zero. The displayed fitted-score equation applies to the regular case in which the proportional-hazards estimate is finite.