Latent cure rate model under repair system and threshold effect

In this paper, we formulate a simple latent cure rate model with repair mechanism for a cell exposed to radiation. This latent approach is a flexible alternative to the models proposed by Klebanov et al. [A stochastic model of radiation carcinogenesis: latent time distributions and their properties. Math Biosci. 1993;18:51–75], Kim et al. [A new threshold regression model for survival data with a cure fraction. Lifetime Data Anal. 2011;17:101–122], and is along the lines of the destructive cure rate model formulated recently by Rodrigues et al. [Destructive weighted Poisson cure rate model. Lifetime Data Anal. 2011b;17:333–346]. A new version of the modified Gompertz model and the promotion cure rate model that takes into account the first passage time of reaching the critical point are discussed, and the estimation of tumor size at detection is then addressed from the Bayesian viewpoint. In addition, a simulation study and an application to real data set illustrate the usefulness of the proposed cure rate model.