Classification Tree (CART) Software for Cancer Studies

Our goals are to provide enhancements to Classification and Regression Tree (CART) softwareand to create SAS and SYSTAT interfaces on multiple platforms. Enhancements include (1) a completeGraphical User Interface; (2) a tree-editor for direct visual manipulation of tree-structures includingmodification of split criteria, and manual pruning and grafting; (3) interactive application of any statisticalprocedure, including summary statistics procedures, regression, non-linear modelling and high resolutiongraphics, to the cases passing through a given node; (4) summaries of the copious output ofcross-validations to assist users in refining tree-structured analyses, particularly when initial results yieldno tree or very shallow trees with low predictive power; (5) addition of Breiman's within-node errormeasure; (6) incorporation of Boolean splits (and/or combinations of individual splitting rules) into thelibrary of potential splitting rules; (7) extension of the CART algorithms to apply to censored survivaldata; (8) performance enhancements for single CPU machines and porting CART to run on parallelprocessing multiple CPU platforms; (9) improving the portability of the source code for differenthardware platforms; and finally; (10) the provision of tutorial materials to assist researchers in applyingthe methodology.