liitännäisanalyysit

Liitännäisanalyysit, known in English as "ancillary analyses" or "exploratory analyses," refers to statistical analyses conducted in conjunction with a primary clinical trial or research study. These analyses are not pre-specified in the original study protocol and are often performed to explore secondary endpoints, investigate subgroups, or uncover unexpected findings. While they can provide valuable insights and generate hypotheses for future research, liitännäisanalyysit carry a higher risk of false positives due to the increased number of comparisons made.

The primary purpose of a clinical trial is typically to answer a specific research question, which is addressed by the primary endpoint and pre-defined analyses. Liitännäisanalyysit, however, go beyond this scope. They might involve examining the effects of a treatment on a range of outcomes not originally planned, or dissecting the data by patient characteristics like age, sex, or disease severity. This exploration can sometimes reveal benefits or harms that were not anticipated, thus guiding the direction of future studies.

It is crucial to interpret the results of liitännäisanalyysit with caution. Because these analyses are often conducted post-hoc, they are considered hypothesis-generating rather than hypothesis-confirming. The statistical significance found in such analyses may be due to chance, and therefore, results should ideally be validated in independent studies before drawing firm conclusions. Researchers often clearly distinguish between pre-specified and ancillary analyses in their publications to maintain transparency and guide readers in their interpretation.