Life expectancy

[ashleylh98]

My father was just diagnosed with Stage IV non small cell lung cancer. It has spread to the lymph nodes on the right side and to his right adreanal gland. He has yet to start treatments. He's 55 years old and a smoker. His general health other than this cancer is good. What is the life expectancy if he doesn't do treatment vs. having treatment.

Thanks,
Ashley

[1942Pattie]

Initially I had the same question.  Now, having made the decision to decline treatment in favor of comfort, the only thing that matters time wise is that my house is in order and that I see my family and friends while I'm still viable, before death and before Hospice.  And I've learned from this website what a totally unanswerable question the "how much time do I have" is.  When all the evidence is in, your doctor will be able to tell you so much more.

[skydnsr]

I understand where ashleylh98 is coming from.  My brother has just been diagnosed with Stage IV nonsmall cell lung cancer.  We know that the cancer is in both lungs, multiple  lymph nodes, pericardium, both adrenal glands, and the spleen.  Additional metastases have not been ruled out, as the doctors are not through evaluating him.  He has severe emphysema.  He smoked up until two days ago, when he was taken to the hospital with cardiac tamponade.  His cancer was not known about until this crisis.  The doctors state that, at this point, he has almost no lung parenchyma left.   The emphysema has destroyed a lot of it, and the cancer has taken most of what was left.

With all due respect to mary1750, it is not just a matter of finding out the treatment plan and following it.  It is also a matter of guaging how long he is likely to live without treatment, so that he can make an intelligent decision about his treatment options.  Nothing says that he has to go along with anything.  If he should have to choose between treatment to extend his life and treatment for comfort only, it makes sense for him to have some general sense of how much time he could gain by taking the more aggressive treatment.

[mary1750]

You really don't want to look for a specific answer to "life expectancy" you need to find out what his doctor plans for treatment and follow that plan.  For some folks the time is long and others not so long.......depends!

Best of Luck........post again.