The study was designed to clarify the relationship

between psychosocial variables and survival by controlling

for other variables known to affect survival. The control was

achieved by using a value for survival that was based on

predictions for each of the cancer sites studied. These

predictions were made through the regression of the survival

rates of cancer patients on biological, disease, and medical

variables.


 Part I: Determining Survival Expectations

Subjects

 Survival expectations were determined through analysis

of information on deceased cancer patients. Three cancer

sites were selected for study. They were lung, breast, and

rectocolon. These sites were selected on the basis of the

relative frequency of their incidence in the general popula-

tion and their incidence specifically in the elderly popula-

tion which was the group selected for analysis in this study.

The population

 Cancer deaths in the general population are largely

from cancers of the lung, breast, or rectocolon. As a

result, subjects with cancer of one of these sites are more

readily available. Data on deaths in 1978 (National Center

for Health Statistics, 1982) revealed that lung cancer was

the leading cause of cancer deaths among men. It was the

third leading cause among women. Rectocolon cancers were the