Estimation of Risk Factors Affecting Screening Outcomes of Prostate Cancer Using the Bayesian Ordinal Logistic Model

Abstract

Prostate cancer occurs when cells in the prostate gland grow out of control. Almost all prostate cancers are adenocarcinomas. The survival rate for prostate cancer patients depends on the screening outcome, which can be either no prostate cancer, early detection, and late detection or advanced stage detection. The main objective of this study was to estimate the risk factors affecting the screening outcome of prostate cancer. With ordinal outcomes, a generalized Bayesian ordinal logistic model was considered in the analysis. The generalized Bayesian ordinal logistic model helped in estimation of coefficient parameters of the risk factors affecting each level of prostate cancer-screening outcomes. In the study, positive coefficients, that is, βk>0, indicated that the higher values on the explanatory variable increased the chances of the respondent being in a higher category of the dependent variable than the current one, while the negative coefficients, that is, βk<0, signified that the higher values on the explanatory variable increased the likelihood of being in the current or lower category of prostate cancer. For instance, from the analysis, positive or negative outcomes of prostate cancer showed that an increase in weight lowered the chances of an individual having the disease.