Hello and thanks for your post,

 I am sorry to hear about your dad. This must be a very difficult time for your family.

The best people to talk to about your dad's situation if he decides not to have treatment is his doctors as they have details of all his medical history. They can give you a general idea of how long he may go on without treatment but of course it is a very difficult thing to predict.

His doctors are basing their predictions on other patients with a similar stage of cancer. A patient's general health can also play a factor. We have some information on survival of lung cancer depending on the stage of their cancer which you can see here

We do have some information on our website about making decisions about treatment which I know is a very difficult decision to make. Have a look here

Patients respond to chemotherapy in different ways. The aim of any treatments is to help shrink the cancer and to help make someone more comfortable. If he does decide to go ahead with chemotherapy he is is able to stop at any time if he is finding it too difficult to cope with.

At the end of the day it is very much your dad's decision if he decides not to have treatment, and then he would be given medicines to help alleviate any symptoms that he may be having. 

I am not sure if he has a palliative nurse at the hospital or a lung CNS (Clinical Nurse Specialist) as it would be helpful to involve them in how you are all feeling. If you did want to talk this through with his doctors or any nurse on your own you would have to get your dad's permission.

I do hope that you are also getting some support for yourself as caring for someone who is ill can be exhausting.

Anyone in your family is more then welcome to ring and chat to one of the helpline nurses. We are here from Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm. Freephone 0808 800 4040.

Take Care,

Catherine