Hello and thanks for posting

I'm sorry to read about your dad's situation. This must be a difficult time for you all.

Sadly, once a cancer has spread it is usually very much harder to cure and the aim of treatment is usually to try and control the disease for as long as possible.

I appreciate you want to know more about your dad's prognosis. This is really a question best answered by your dad's specialist team. This is because they are familiar with all his medical details and will know so much more about his individual situation. Doctors base their assessment of someone's outlook/prognosis on their experience of looking after other patients with the same cancer. This will vary to a degree, depending on a person’s age, extent of their cancer, their general health and their response to cancer treatments.

We do have some information on our website about prognosis. However I do not think this gives you the best idea on your dad's prognosis. This is because it is not about him, it is based upon past studies. Statistics are not detailed enough to say what will happen to an individual person as breast cancer can behave differently in each person so you cannot predict with any accuracy what will happen. Doctors are usually happy to speak to relatives but they would need your dad's permission to do so.

We have information on our website on how advanced bowel cancer may be treated.

I hope this is of some use. Please get back to us if you need any more information or support. You may find it helpful to talk things through with one of the nurses on our helpline. The number to call is Freephone 0808 800 4040 and the lines are open from 9am till 5pm Monday to Friday.

Kind regards,

Celene