problem-4.5

problem-4.5  The boxplots are generated quickly, as cancer is a list of variables.
> boxplot(cancer)
    
From the graphic, we can see that breast cancer has the longest tail (a good thing for those with breast cancer as it means there is a chance of a long life still), bronchus cancer the smallest spread (not good for bronchus cancer sufferers), and that the centers are not comparable.
For more on this, please read the informative essay The Median Isn't the Message by Stephen J. Gould (http://www.cancerguide.org/median_not_msg.html).