Methods and evidence

Three calculations.
Three different meanings.

ONQIVA includes an exploratory survival analysis, a cross-sectional prediction benchmark, and a fictional testing-allocation simulation. They use different data and answer different questions.

01 · SURVIVAL ANALYSIS

Measured vitamin D and short-term outcomes.

The public-data cohort includes 515 adults who reported a previous cancer diagnosis, had a measured 25(OH)D result, and were eligible for mortality linkage. There were 35 observed deaths and a maximum of 37 months of follow-up.

MODEL

Age-, sex-, and vitamin-D-adjusted Cox regression

Vitamin D is entered as a continuous measurement, scaled per 10 ng/mL. The interactive curve shows a scenario from this fitted model. It does not estimate a person’s future.

h(t | x) = h₀(t) exp(β₁ age + β₂ sex + β₃ 25(OH)D / 10)
ESTIMATE FROM THIS SAMPLE
0.693HR per +10 ng/mL · 95% CI 0.51 to 0.94

The estimate describes an association in this sample. It cannot establish cause, treatment benefit, or who should be tested.

Limits that change how to read this result

The analysis is observational and unweighted. It uses a small number of deaths, short follow-up, and self-reported cancer history. Confounding, selection, and differences in cancer type or treatment may affect the association.

02 · CROSS-SECTIONAL BENCHMARK

Can demographics predict a measured vitamin D category?

This separate experiment predicts whether measured 25(OH)D was below 20 ng/mL using age, sex, race/ethnicity, examination season, and income-to-poverty ratio. It does not predict cancer outcomes or decide who receives a test.

LOGISTIC REGRESSION0.65five-fold ROC-AUC
GRADIENT BOOSTING0.67five-fold ROC-AUC
WHAT THE SCORE MEANS

These results show modest discrimination in this cohort. Cross-validation is internal; independent validation and calibration are still needed.

03 · FICTIONAL SIMULATION

Testing priority is a separate written rule.

The clinic exercise uses fictional inputs and fixed scoring logic. It is not fitted to NHANES, the survival model, or a clinical dataset. Its purpose is to make assumptions visible and open to critique.

01INPUTS

Fictional profile

Age, body mass index, reported routine, and available test capacity are example values, not patient records.

02RULE

Inspectable score

Each factor contributes a visible number of points. The rule is illustrative and has not been clinically validated.

03COMPARISON

Simulated allocation

The example compares the rule with random allocation. It cannot establish improved access or health outcomes.

WHAT IS NOT BUILT YET

Validation comes before a clinical claim.

The next work is independent statistical review, clearer uncertainty analysis, and a carefully defined research question. Molecular data and clinical pilot work remain future possibilities, not current product features.

Request a methods review