Estimation of exposure-specific rates from sparse case-control data

Several methods for estimation of exposure-specific rates from case-control data have been developed, but none are practical for application to sparse stratifications, such as individually matched case-control data. This paper presents a method for estimating standardized exposure-specific rates that can be applied to sparse data, as well as other (non-sparse) stratifications. An application to a matched-pair case-control study of prostate cancer is given.