This book presents the continual reassessment method (CRM) as a tool for dose-finding studies. With a focus on the implementation and practice of the CRM and its variations, it explains how the CRM may be calibrated and extended to suit common clinical settings. The book includes examples of real clinical trials data to illustrate the calibration techniques and shows how R can be used to carry out the techniques. It reviews the literature, related methodology, and theoretical properties of the CRM. It also explores alternatives for situations where the CRM fails.

As clinicians begin to realize the important role of dose-finding in the drug development process, there is an increasing openness to "novel" methods proposed in the past two decades. In particular, the Continual Reassessment Method (CRM) and its variations have drawn much attention in the medical community, though it has yet to become a commonplace tool. To overcome the status quo in phase I clinical trials, statisticians must be able to design trials using the CRM in a timely and reproducible manner. A self-contained theoretical framework of the CRM for researchers and graduate students who set out to learn and do research in the CRM and dose-finding methods in general, Dose Finding by the Continual Reassessment Method features: Real clinical trial examples that illustrate the methods and techniques throughout the book Detailed calibration techniques that enable biostatisticians to design a CRM in timely manner Limitations of the CRM are outlined to aid in correct use of method This book supplies practical, efficient dose-finding methods based on cutting edge statistical research. More than just a cookbook, it provides full, unified coverage of the CRM in addition to step-by-step guidelines to automation and parameterization of the methods used on a regular basis. A detailed exposition of the calibration of the CRM for applied statisticians working with dose-finding in phase I trials, the book focuses on the R package ‘dfcrm’ for the CRM and its major variants. The author recognizes clinicians’ skepticism of model-based designs, and addresses their concerns that the time, professional, and computational resources necessary for accurate model-based designs can be major bottlenecks to the widespread use of appropriate dose-finding methods in phase I practice. The theoretically- and empirically-based methods in Dose Finding by the Continual Reassessment Method will lessen the statistician’s burden and encourage the continuing development and implementation of model-based dose-finding methods.

Dose-finding experiments define the safe dosage of a drug in development, in terms of the quantity given to a patient. Statistical methods play a crucial role in identifying optimal dosage. Used appropriately, these methods provide reliable results and reduce trial duration and costs. In practice, however, dose-finding is often done poorly, with widely used conventional methods frequently being unreliable, leading to inaccurate results. However, there have been many advances in recent years, with new statistical techniques being developed and it is important that these new techniques are utilized correctly. Statistical Methods for Dose-Finding Experiments reviews the main statistical approaches for dose-finding in phase I/II clinical trials and presents practical guidance on their correct use. Includes an introductory section, summarizing the essential concepts in dose-finding. Contains a section on algorithm-based approaches, such as the traditional 3+3 design, and a section on model-based approaches, such as the continual reassessment method. Explains fundamental issues, such as how to stop trials early and how to cope with delayed or ordinal outcomes. Discusses in detail the main websites and software used to implement the methods. Features numerous worked examples making use of real data. Statistical Methods for Dose-Finding Experiments is an important collaboration from the leading experts in the area. Primarily aimed at statisticians and clinicians working in clinical trials and medical research, there is also much to benefit graduate students of biostatistics.

This is a comprehensive major reference work for our SpringerReference program covering clinical trials. Although the core of the Work will focus on the design, analysis, and interpretation of scientific data from clinical trials, a broad spectrum of clinical trial application areas will be covered in detail. This is an important time to develop such a Work, as drug safety and efficacy emphasizes the Clinical Trials process. Because of an immense and growing international disease burden, pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies continue to develop new drugs. Clinical trials have also become extremely globalized in the past 15 years, with over 225,000 international trials ongoing at this point in time. Principles in Practice of Clinical Trials is truly an interdisciplinary that will be divided into the following areas: 1) Clinical Trials Basic Perspectives 2) Regulation and Oversight 3) Basic Trial Designs 4) Advanced Trial Designs 5) Analysis 6) Trial Publication 7) Topics Related Specific Populations and Legal Aspects of Clinical Trials The Work is designed to be comprised of 175 chapters and approximately 2500 pages. The Work will be oriented like many of our SpringerReference Handbooks, presenting detailed and comprehensive expository chapters on broad subjects. The Editors are major figures in the field of clinical trials, and both have written textbooks on the topic. There will also be a slate of 7-8 renowned associate editors that will edit individual sections of the Reference.

Handbook of Methods for Designing, Monitoring, and Analyzing Dose-Finding Trials gives a thorough presentation of state-of-the-art methods for early phase clinical trials. The methodology of clinical trials has advanced greatly over the last 20 years and, arguably, nowhere greater than that of early phase studies. The need to accelerate drug development in a rapidly evolving context of targeted therapies, immunotherapy, combination treatments and complex group structures has provided the stimulus to these advances. Typically, we deal with very small samples, sequential methods that need to be efficient, while, at the same time adhering to ethical principles due to the involvement of human subjects. Statistical inference is difficult since the standard techniques of maximum likelihood do not usually apply as a result of model misspecification and parameter estimates lying on the boundary of the parameter space. Bayesian methods play an important part in overcoming these difficulties, but nonetheless, require special consideration in this particular context. The purpose of this handbook is to provide an expanded summary of the field as it stands and also, through discussion, provide insights into the thinking of leaders in the field as to the potential developments of the years ahead. With this goal in mind we present: An introduction to the field for graduate students and novices A basis for more established researchers from which to build A collection of material for an advanced course in early phase clinical trials A comprehensive guide to available methodology for practicing statisticians on the design and analysis of dose-finding experiments An extensive guide for the multiple comparison and modeling (MCP-Mod) dose-finding approach, adaptive two-stage designs for dose finding, as well as dose–time–response models and multiple testing in the context of confirmatory dose-finding studies. John O’Quigley is a professor of mathematics and research director at the French National Institute for Health and Medical Research based at the Faculty of Mathematics, University Pierre and Marie Curie in Paris, France. He is author of Proportional Hazards Regression and has published extensively in the field of dose finding. Alexia Iasonos is an associate attending biostatistician at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York. She has over one hundred publications in the leading statistical and clinical journals on the methodology and design of early phase clinical trials. Dr. Iasonos has wide experience in the actual implementation of model based early phase trials and has given courses in scientific meetings internationally. Björn Bornkamp is a statistical methodologist at Novartis in Basel, Switzerland, researching and implementing dose-finding designs in Phase II clinical trials. He is one of the co-developers of the MCP-Mod methodology for dose finding and main author of the DoseFinding R package. He has published numerous papers on dose finding, nonlinear models and Bayesian statistics, and in 2013 won the Royal Statistical Society award for statistical excellence in the pharmaceutical industry.

This book provides a comprehensive introduction to statistical methods for designing early phase dose-finding clinical trials. It will serve as a textbook or handbook for graduate students and practitioners in biostatistics and clinical investigators who are involved in designing, conducting, monitoring, and analyzing dose-finding trials. The book will also provide an overview of advanced topics and discussions in this field for the benefit of researchers in biostatistics and statistical science. Beginning with backgrounds and fundamental notions on dose finding in early phase clinical trials, the book then provides traditional and recent dose-finding designs of phase I trials for, e.g., cytotoxic agents in oncology, to evaluate toxicity outcome. Included are rule-based and model-based designs, such as 3 + 3 designs, accelerated titration designs, toxicity probability interval designs, continual reassessment method and related designs, and escalation overdose control designs. This book also covers more complex and updated dose-finding designs of phase I-II and I/II trials for cytotoxic agents, and cytostatic agents, focusing on both toxicity and efficacy outcomes, such as designs with covariates and drug combinations, maximum tolerated dose-schedule finding designs, and so on.

Handbook of Methods for Designing, Monitoring, and Analyzing Dose-Finding Trials gives a thorough presentation of state-of-the-art methods for early phase clinical trials. The methodology of clinical trials has advanced greatly over the last 20 years and, arguably, nowhere greater than that of early phase studies. The need to accelerate drug development in a rapidly evolving context of targeted therapies, immunotherapy, combination treatments and complex group structures has provided the stimulus to these advances. Typically, we deal with very small samples, sequential methods that need to be efficient, while, at the same time adhering to ethical principles due to the involvement of human subjects. Statistical inference is difficult since the standard techniques of maximum likelihood do not usually apply as a result of model misspecification and parameter estimates lying on the boundary of the parameter space. Bayesian methods play an important part in overcoming these difficulties, but nonetheless, require special consideration in this particular context. The purpose of this handbook is to provide an expanded summary of the field as it stands and also, through discussion, provide insights into the thinking of leaders in the field as to the potential developments of the years ahead. With this goal in mind we present: An introduction to the field for graduate students and novices A basis for more established researchers from which to build A collection of material for an advanced course in early phase clinical trials A comprehensive guide to available methodology for practicing statisticians on the design and analysis of dose-finding experiments An extensive guide for the multiple comparison and modeling (MCP-Mod) dose-finding approach, adaptive two-stage designs for dose finding, as well as dose–time–response models and multiple testing in the context of confirmatory dose-finding studies. John O’Quigley is a professor of mathematics and research director at the French National Institute for Health and Medical Research based at the Faculty of Mathematics, University Pierre and Marie Curie in Paris, France. He is author of Proportional Hazards Regression and has published extensively in the field of dose finding. Alexia Iasonos is an associate attending biostatistician at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York. She has over one hundred publications in the leading statistical and clinical journals on the methodology and design of early phase clinical trials. Dr. Iasonos has wide experience in the actual implementation of model based early phase trials and has given courses in scientific meetings internationally. Björn Bornkamp is a statistical methodologist at Novartis in Basel, Switzerland, researching and implementing dose-finding designs in Phase II clinical trials. He is one of the co-developers of the MCP-Mod methodology for dose finding and main author of the DoseFinding R package. He has published numerous papers on dose finding, nonlinear models and Bayesian statistics, and in 2013 won the Royal Statistical Society award for statistical excellence in the pharmaceutical industry.