Reg - have you heard the expression that the best lies are...

Reg - have you heard the expression that the best lies are mostly true? Sometimes the biggest mistakes are mostly true.

You are asking me is it all false. Well the overall impression made is going to be false if enough of it is false but there can still be elements that are not false.

Look at your first figure you've posted - under the Y axis next to BAT (best available therapy) is a zero (0) - that cannot be. Not can the count below it be 2. That leftmost side of the figure at day zero is where the maximum number has to be. So in putting the presentation material together someone has omitted (you could argue its a innocent construction or presentation preparation mistake like a typo or spelling mistake) and they have put 0 and 2 where the number 10 and 12 should be.

If it was just that - no problem - but that same figure has no censored items on it - and there were censored items. There is a p value sitting there with no explanation for how it is arrived at - basically the total effect of the figure is to flip the bird at the fools who want know what they are being shown and won't care - in my opinion (but be warned - I'm emotional as you are - I could exaggerate sometimes as you can).

But my motives are not to con you reg - I promise you that. I don't want you believe me or to accept that just because I point out a detail or two that you can see (or can check for yourself to see I am correct in saying is wrong - that you switch over from believing others to readily to believing in me to readily - you should not). This is about the effectiveness of medicines reg.

You are a smart enough bloke to learn pretty much all there is to learn about Kaplan-Meiers for your self. Look at the basic reference paper I provided earlier and you will I reckon be able to understand it.

I'm trying to teach you to fish reg. Its better for me if you learn to fish for yourself. Its real easy reg. Once you know how to read a Kaplan-Meier you can then unpack a lot of the stuff for yourself - I look forward to the time when you can correct me - because I will make typos and I will misspell but I won't try to disempower you or con you.