My Dad

[lucanus15]

Hi all, thanks ever so much for all the previous advice, helpful words and encouragement. I'm sorry to not have replied yet. It's been hectic. I've made it back to England to see my Dad who had his CT on Jan 02. Provisional staging T3 N2 M1c, he has two brain met tumours and his ribs are affected.

He is down to have a bronchoscopy this Thursday and surprisingly seems to be OK with the idea, but my Mum seems to think that it's a waste of time. Any treatment is palliative but will palliative treatment vary according to what cells they find in the biopsy? My Mum doesn't imagine that my father has long to go, he is weak, would the bronchoscopy not just mean unnecessary stress and discomfort? What are your experiences please?

And another question, does the staging I mentioned above mean stage 3 or stage 4.

Thanks ever so much in advance

[Denzie]

The brain metastasis makes it stage 4. When I first started reaching out to other patients I met a man who had at that time survived 12 years. His nsclc was found because his brain mets manifested symptoms. He went on to live 6 more years and passed in his 18th year of survivorship.

So much does depend on the outcome of the genomic testing of those cells. Many patients have experienced dramatic results. By that I mean they were told they had 4-5 weeks then a targeted therapy immediately helped.

This is no longer the automatic death sentence it once was.

[JanetteR57]

I've met people with stage iv lung cancer and many have survived years longer than suggested and mostly before the latest treatments especially immunotherapy and targeted agents. however every treatment mode has changed in the last 5-7 years whether surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy or more likely the combination of different treatment modes. none of the stages is a zero sum game - and there are clinical trials and new treatments in standard of care. there is some well written clear information on the Roy Castle lung cancer foundation website about the various types, stages and treatments as well as living with lung cancer information. good luck to you and your family - don't give up.

[lucanus15 in reply to JanetteR57]

Thank-you so much Denzie and Janette Your replies have given me a lot of hope. My Mum is worried about tomorrow, she doubts that he is strong enough. We are hoping that the district nurse today may be able to assess whether he is strong enough, and hopefully the ambulance crew and hospital staff would tell us if he seems too weak.

Having had a bronchoscopy myself and knowing my father, I wish he would be going under general. He is worried whether he will be sedated enough to not try and resist the procedure. He told us to warn them that he is like a wild horse and cannot guarantee compliance.

He is still eating three small meals a day and still making us laugh a great deal but is already much weakened and has lost a lot of weight. He sits up for half an hour or so but needs a lot of sleep.

Thanks again for everybody's input, I'm so grateful to have found this forum which has been so helpful in guiding me through my own ordeal and now that of my father. Best wishes to all xxx