[R] plotting survival curves (multiple curves on single graph)

[Bert Gunter]

Yes, it can be done using basic plot commands.

But if you really want to get fancy and plot "grouped" graphs, I
strongly recommend you look into R's packages -- ggplot or trellis.
Both have excellent documentation and companion books and  were built
for this sort of thing. The (considerable) learning curve will be
worth the effort.

Cheers,
Bert

On Tue, Jul 5, 2011 at 3:08 PM, Trey Batey <ekt.batey at gmail.com> wrote:
> Hello.
>
> This is a follow-up to a question I posted last week.  With some
> previous suggestions from the R-help community, I have been able to
> plot survival (, hazard, and density) curves using published data for
> Siler hazard parameters from a number of ethnographic populations.
> Can the function below be modified, perhaps with a "for" statement, so
> that multiple curves (different line types---one for each population)
> are plotted on a single graph for comparison?  Thanks so much.
>
> --Trey
>
> The function and calls below use the data in this Excel file (feel
> free to access):
> https://docs.google.com/leaf?id=0B5zZGW2utJN0ZDk1NjA0ZjUtMWU0ZS00ZGQ3LWIxZTUtOWE0NGVmYWMxODJl&hl=en_US
>
> ## - plot Siler survival curve
> ##############################
> silsurv<-function(a1,b1,a2,a3,b3)
>  {
>    sil=function(t)
>      {
>        h.t<-a1*exp(-b1*t)+a2+a3*exp(b3*t)
>        S.t<-exp(-a1/b1*(1-exp(-b1*t))-a2*t+a3/b3*(1-exp(b3*t)))
>        d.t<-S.t*h.t
>
>        #return(d.t)
>        return(S.t)
>        #return(h.t)
>      }
>    t<-seq(0,90,1)
> plot(t,sil(t),ylim=c(0,1),type='l',cex.lab=0.8,cex.axis=0.75,ylab='S(t)',xlab='Age
> (years)')
>  }
>
> with(hazanth[1,3:7],silsurv(a1=a1,b1=b1,a2=a2,a3=a3,b3=b3));title(main=hazanth[1,1],cex.main=0.9)
>  # plot for Hadza
> with(hazanth[2,3:7],silsurv(a1=a1,b1=b1,a2=a2,a3=a3,b3=b3));title(main=hazanth[2,1],cex.main=0.9)
>  # plot for Ache
> with(hazanth[3,3:7],silsurv(a1=a1,b1=b1,a2=a2,a3=a3,b3=b3));title(main=hazanth[3,1],cex.main=0.9)
>  # plot for Hiwi
> with(hazanth[4,3:7],silsurv(a1=a1,b1=b1,a2=a2,a3=a3,b3=b3));title(main=hazanth[4,1],cex.main=0.9)
>  # plot for !Kung
> with(hazanth[5,3:7],silsurv(a1=a1,b1=b1,a2=a2,a3=a3,b3=b3));title(main=hazanth[5,1],cex.main=0.9)
>  # plot for Yanomamo
> with(hazanth[6,3:7],silsurv(a1=a1,b1=b1,a2=a2,a3=a3,b3=b3));title(main=hazanth[6,1],cex.main=0.9)
>  # plot for Tsimane
>
> ###############################
>
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> and provide commented, minimal, self-contained, reproducible code.
>



-- 
"Men by nature long to get on to the ultimate truths, and will often
be impatient with elementary studies or fight shy of them. If it were
possible to reach the ultimate truths without the elementary studies
usually prefixed to them, these would not be preparatory studies but
superfluous diversions."

-- Maimonides (1135-1204)

Bert Gunter
Genentech Nonclinical Biostatistics
467-7374
http://pharmadevelopment.roche.com/index/pdb/pdb-functional-groups/pdb-biostatistics/pdb-ncb-home.htm