Competing risks joint models using R-INLA

Abstract: The methodological advancements made in the field of joint models are numerous. None the less, the case of competing risks joint models have largely been neglected, especially from a practitioner's point of view. In the relevant works on competing risks joint models, the assumptions of Gaussian linear longitudinal series and proportional cause-specific hazard functions, amongst others, have remained unchallenged. In this paper, we provide a framework based on R-INLA to apply competing risks joint models in a unifying way such that non-Gaussian longitudinal data, spatial structures, time dependent splines and various latent association structures, to mention a few, are all embraced in our approach. Our motivation stems from the SANAD trial which exhibits non-linear longitudinal trajectories and competing risks for failure of treatment. We also present a discrete competing risks joint model for longitudinal count data as well as a spatial competing risks joint model, as specific examples.