= Relative survival
<Relative survival> compares observed survival in a diseased cohort with expected survival derived from a suitable reference population. A useful individual model adds a known background mortality hazard to a common <excess hazard>. Reference mortality can depend on age, sex and calendar time. The comparison avoids classifying each death by cause, but its interpretation depends on the reference population being appropriate. An excess-survival ratio is not automatically the effect of a causal intervention removing one cause of death.
Back to article page
