Factorial design for a sequential allocation study

Abstract

<p>Robert J. Taylor and Herbert A. David developed a new experimental approach in the screening of prospective drugs to be used in the treatment of cancer. The procedure is a sequential one, where the allocation of patients to drugs is based upon the performance of the drugs in immediately previous periods. Taylor further developed a computer program to study the effectiveness of the procedure by means of simulated trials.</p> <p> The purpose of this paper has been to study the sequential allocation procedure further by means of simulation in the form of a factorial experiment. Of primary concern has been the behavior of different weighting functions operating under varying experimental conditions. Response variables have been studied as a means for evaluating the effectiveness of the procedure. The results of this experiment are comparable with the findings originally presented by Taylor and David.</p>