Dear Editor,
Significant progress has been made in the methods of evidence-based medicine, driven by an innovative technique published in 2021, specifically tailored for survival studies (1). This groundbreaking method, known as IPDfromKM, has been developed in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) and is supported by a freely available software on the Internet (1).
In essence, the IPDfromKM method distinguishes itself by subjecting Kaplan-Meier graphs to a thorough analysis that reconstructs a database of simulated patients, whose characteristics closely mirror those of real patients. The term “reconstructed patients” is used to denote this unique patient database, which is midway between real individual patient data and the aggregate information included in meta-analytic reports.
The purpose of this response is to highlight the explosive growth witnessed in the past three years in the adoption of the IPDfromKM method (2-4). The majority of recent applications of this innovative technique are concentrated in the fields of oncology (2,3) and cardiology (4). Despite its recent development, this method has already achieved standardization and is mature for widespread use. The only point of contention lies in the assessment of heterogeneity (3,5), which still requires further standardization.
References
1. Liu N, Zhou Y, Lee JJ. IPDfromKM: reconstruct individual patient data from published Kaplan-Meier survival curves. BMC Med Res Methodol. 2021 Jun 1;21(1):111. doi: 10.1186/s12874-021-01308-8. PMID: 34074267; PMCID: PMC8168323.
2. Messori A. Reconstruction of individual-patient data from the analysis of Kaplan-Meier plots: a selection of original investigations conducted in the area of oncology (preprint). Open Science Framework, DOI 10.17605/OSF.IO/3ZQ8C, published, url https://osf.io/3zq8c/ , accessed 15 November 2023
3. Messori A, Damuzzo V, Rivano M, Cancanelli L, Di Spazio L, Ossato A, Chiumente M, Mengato D. Application of the IPDfromKM-Shiny Method to Compare the Efficacy of Novel Treatments Aimed at the Same Disease Condition: A Report of 14 Analyses. Cancers 2023, 15, 1633-1639 https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers1506163
4. Messori A. Reconstruction of individual-patient data from the analysis of Kaplan-Meier curves: the use of this method has extended from oncology to cardiology (preprint). Open Science Framework, DOI 10.17605/OSF.IO/4XDGR, published 13 November 2023, url https://osf.io/qejus, accessed 15 November 2023
5. Messori A, Fadda V, Romeo MR, Veneziano S, Trippoli S. A Comparison of Statistical Analysis Between “Real” Patients Reported in Kaplan-Meier Curves and “Reconstructed” Patients Estimated Through the IPDfromKM Method: Analysis of Eight Trials Evaluating Catheter Ablation of Ventricular Tachycardia. Cureus 2023;15(10): e47891. doi:10.7759/cureus.47891, url https://www.cureus.com/articles/198474-a-comparison-of-statistical-analy…
Advancements in Evidence-Based Medicine: Reconstructing Individual Patient Data from Kaplan-Meier Curves Through an Artificial Intelligence Technique