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Increases in cancer incidence and mortality reflect the larger numbers of elderly in the population. Using a mortality sample of 1891 biopsy-confirmed cancer patients, analyses reveal older breast, prostate, and cervical-uterine cancer victims were more likely to be diagnosed with metastases. Logistic regression analyses of subsamples of breast (N = 224), lung (N = 513), and colorectal (N = 299) cancer patients indicate that age is significantly inversely related to receipt of both subsequent chemotherapy and radiation therapy, controlling for stage of disease and presence of co-morbid disease. Exceptions to this relationship are the use of radiation therapy among nonmetastatic lung cancer patients and all breast cancer patients. The implications of these findings for current cancer control programs are discussed.

Estimates of the prevalence of disruptive behavior in the nursing home are presented based upon a representative sample of nursing home residents from intermediate care and skilled nursing facilities (ICF and SNF) in Rhode Island. Results indicate that 26.4% of residents had engaged in some form of disruptive behavior within two weeks prior to assessment. Abusiveness (physical and verbal) and noisiness were identified as the most prevalent behavior types (11.6% and 10.2%, respectively). Given the similarity of Rhode Island nursing home residents to nursing home residents nationally, these estimates may be considered as estimates for the national nursing home population. Older residents and those with greater physical and cognitive impairments were more likely to exhibit behavior problems. Although disruptive behavior seems to be associated with the dementing process, cognitively intact residents also demonstrated these behaviors. These findings suggest that an etiology of disruptive behavior should include both physiological as well as social and psychological factors.

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