This is the help page for the interactive maps which make up the Cancer Equalities Portal. These maps provide a way to view cancer data down to individual Primary Care Trusts (PCT). If data for a PCT is not available then the measurements are given at cancer network or national level.
This help page can be read as a walkthrough which will guide you through all of the features available on the maps in a logical order. For details of data sources and which cancer sites are included in each measure please see the notes page.
If using this page as a walkthrough you may like to view it at the same time as seeing the maps. To do this open a new browser window and go to the main interactive map page. Alternatively a printable version of this guide is available for download as a PDF.
Select the map you want to view from the Cancer Equalities Portal home page - as an example click the All Cancers map. The map will then load, which may take a while to load on a slow internet connection as the maps contain a large amount of data.
The interactive maps are split into five main areas:
The navigation bar at the top of the map allows you to move around the Equalities Portal. Clicking the different buttons will take you to the portal home page, to related interactive maps (for example for other cancer sites) and to help pages, notes and user guide. The options available will vary between maps but all parts of the portal can always be reached from the home page.
To show data for a particular PCT move the mouse over the map, the name of each PCT will be shown next to the mouse pointer and its location will be highlighted in purple. Clicking the mouse will display its data in the measurement section. Once clicked the PCT will remain highlighted as the mouse moves over the rest of the map.
In some parts of the country there are many PCTs crowded together, to help find a particular PCT you can zoom into the map by clicking the '+' symbol on the left of the map. To zoom out again click the '-' and to view the full map click the magnifying glass. You can also drag the zoom bar up and down for fine scale work.
Once zoomed in, the map can be dragged around the screen by holding down the left mouse button and moving the mouse in the required direction.
PCT's can be selected by name using the 'show/hide PCT' button above the UK map. Clicking this will show an alphabetical list of PCTs. Select the PCT of interest and then click the button again to hide the list.
The data display area shows the report data for the selected PCT split into three columns of data and a chart display.
The first column shows the title of the measurement. Measurements are grouped into sections; clicking the arrow next to the section heading hides or displays that section's measurements. The '-' and '+' symbols at the bottom of the data table hide or display all sections. As the portal contains a large amount of information, it may at times be useful to hide most sections and focus on a single area.
The second column shows the geography to which the measurement refers. Where PCT level data are not available cancer network or national data are used instead (see the notes page for details of how PCTs have been mapped to cancer networks). This column gives the name of the area to which the data refer.
The third column gives the value of the measurement for the relevant area. The value may also be accompanied by a symbol showing whether the selected area is performing better or worse than the national average.
Almost all measurements are accompanied by a chart showing the data value and, where available, supplementary information such as confidence intervals and the national average for that measure. Hovering the mouse over a symbol will show its value. The figures to the left and right of the chart show the start and end of the scale. Different types of chart display are used for the different data types. These are colour coded for easy identification and described below.
For rate measures (for example incidence or mortality rates) a bar chart shows the data value. Where available, triangles to either side of the data value show the 95% confidence intervals (the range within which the value would be expected to fall 95% of the time if the measurement were repeated) and a bar shows the national average. The display of percentage measures is almost identical to rate measures except that the scale runs from 0 to 100%.
Ratio measures (for example the ratio of male:female incidence) are shown as a data point with or without 95% confidence interval markers. The change in background colour indicates a ratio of one (i.e. no difference between the groups being compared). If the data value and both 95% confidence interval markers are above or below one then we can be relatively certain that there is a real difference between the groups.
Incidence ratios for different ethnic groups are displayed slightly differently to other ratios. Ethnicity data are not available for all patients and assumptions about these 'missing' ethnicities must be made. For these values triangle markers show the highest and lowest expected ratios (not confidence intervals) based on different assumptions. These ranges can be interpreted as other ratios - if both markers are above or below one we can be confident that there is a real difference between the ethnic groups.
Deprivation gaps for one year survival are only available in the site specific atlases. These are shown by a bar extending from zero (no difference between the most and least deprived) to the left (worse survival among the most deprived) or right (worse survival among the most affluent). Again, 95% confidence intervals are shown as triangular markers and if both confidence intervals are to the left or right of zero then we can be relatively certain that there is a real difference between the most and least deprived.
A key to the different symbols and colours used in the charts is available at the bottom of data display area.
Selecting a measurement by clicking it with the mouse will display an explanation of the data in the notes box. This will include brief details of the data being displayed, how it should be interpreted, the source and where to go for further information. The notes page has full details of the data sources used in the portal.
When a measurement with data at PCT or cancer network is level is selected, the bar chart will show the values for other PCTs or networks. The selected PCT will be highlighted and moving the mouse over the chart will show the names and data value for other PCTs. Moving the mouse over the map will also show PCT names and their data for the currently selected measure.
To look at the impact of deprivation on the different measures, the data can be filtered to show only spearhead or non-spearhead PCTs using the button above the UK map. The same button allows the filter to be cleared.
The Cancer Equalities Portal has been prepared by NCIN to support the National Cancer Equalities Initiative (NCEI). It accompanies the NCEI's publication Reducing cancer inequality - progress, evidence and making it happen
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Questions about the Equalities Portal? Contact equalities@ncin.org.uk