Background The two-stage, likelihood-based continual reassessment method (CRM-L) entails the specification of a set of design parameters prior to the beginning of its use in a study. The impression of clinicians is that the success of model-based designs, such as CRM-L, depends upon some of the choices made with regard to these specifications, such as the choice of parametric dose–toxicity model and the initial guess of toxicity probabilities.

Purpose In studying the efficiency and comparative performance of competing dose-finding designs for finite (typically small) samples, the nonparametric optimal benchmark is a useful tool. When comparing a dose-finding design to the optimal design, we are able to assess how much room there is for potential improvement. Read more