Quick Tutorial

The Cancer Trends Progress Report - 2005 Update has been designed to make navigation and downloading of materials of interest as simple as possible. The figure below shows the Home Page, followed by brief descriptions of its main components. Click a circled number to read that component's description.

Report Highlights. A summary of the main conclusions of the report outlining where the nation is making progress toward major cancer-related Healthy People 2010 targets set forth by the Department of Health and Human Services, and where additional progress still needs to be made.

Trends-at-a-Glance. A one-page overview of the trend direction for all the measures covered in the Progress Report. This portion of the Web site also includes Summary Tables, which describe additional characteristics of each measure not included in Trends-at-a-Glance.

Body of the Progress Report. The detailed contents of the report can be found here. The Progress Report is divided into six major chapters, based on the cancer continuum: Prevention, Early Detection, Diagnosis, Treatment, Life after Cancer, and End of Life. Each chapter is subdivided into two or more sections. Each section has the same general layout: Introduction, Measure, Period (for which data are shown), Trends (verbal and graphical description), Most Recent Estimates, Healthy People 2010 Targets, Groups at High Risk (for the measure in question), Key Issues, and Links to Additional Information.

Tools. This "toolbox" is always available to the user. It includes the following features:

• Print this page. Allows the user to print the page that is currently being viewed
• Generate custom report. This feature enables the user to generate a report that includes only those sections or chapters that the user wishes to view or print. The report is dynamically generated, and produces a document in Adobe Acrobat PDF format. The Adobe Acrobat Reader, which can be downloaded at no cost, is required to open this document.
• Download graphs and data. A central location where any (or all) of over 150 graphs and tables contained in this report may be downloaded in graphic (JPEG) format (.jpg) or Microsoft PowerPoint slide format (.ppt). The data used to generate the graphs may also be downloaded in Microsoft Excel (.xls) format

Additional Contents. This section links to the Cancer Trends Progress Report introduction and the National Cancer Institute Director's Message, as well as the Appendices (Acknowledgments, Incidence and Mortality Charts, Methodology for Characterizing Trends, and References), which supplement the main content of the report.

Related Resources. The Progress Report Fact Sheet (a document in PDF format), the most frequently asked questions (FAQs), this tutorial, and a Dictionary of important terms associated with cancer, can be accessed from here. Links to earlier versions of the report (2001 and 2003) can be found under About this Report.

Feedback. This link enables a user to e-mail questions or comments about the Cancer Trends Progress Report. This link can also be found via Contact Us at the bottom of every page of this Web site.

Return to Top

Graphs

All graphs contained in this report are generated dynamically. This enables easy updating of the Web site (without recreating and uploading new graphs) when new data become available. The figure below shows two types of graphs available in this report - the main graph and the pop-up graph. Features of these graphs are described below the figure. Click a circled number to read the description of that feature.

 

Main graph. This graphs displays the observed values (points) and weighted regression lines, based on values obtained by using statistical methods described in an appendix to this report (Methodology for Characterizing Trends). The source(s) and additional characteristics of the data are shown in the footnotes.

Download option. The user may download the main graph as a JPEG image, the main graph and its associated pop-up graphs as a set of PowerPoint slides, and the data used to calculate the main and pop-up graphs as an Excel spreadsheet. These figures may also be downloaded using the tools described in item 4 above.

Graph image format. Any graph in this report is available in the following formats:

• JPEG (default). A common graphic format that can easily be copied and pasted by right-clicking the mouse anywhere on the graph (when using Internet Explorer). Hovering over any point (or the line in proximity to a point) reveals the values associated with that point or line.
• FLASH. A graphic format that allows easy printing of the graph by right-clicking anywhere on the graph and executing the Print@ command. Hovering over any point (or the line in proximity to a point) reveals the values associated with that point or line.
• [D]. The [D] link provides a text description of the graph, including its title, description of the type of graph (number of lines and points), the x- and y-axis titles, every point value in the graph, and the footnotes. This feature provides visually-impaired or blind users accessibility to the graph by means of a screen reader, and, therefore, makes the graph compliant with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act.

Link to pop-up graph. There is one link for each line in the main graph to another graph (pop-up graph), which contains more detailed information about the characteristics of that line.

Pop-up graph. This graph replicates the line shown in the main graph and also includes the following additional information: (a) color designation of trend direction (favorable = green, unfavorable = red, stable = black); (b) annual percent change (APC) of every line segment comprising the line; and (c) a horizontal blue line showing the Healthy People 2010 target (when a target exists).

Return to Top