Hello and thank you for posting.

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

A CT scan may give doctors the information they need to identify cancer. But sometimes further tests are needed to say for sure.

As nurses we don't recommend treatment as this needs to come from your dad’s specialist team who are familiar with all his medical details.

Age is not usually a barrier to having cancer treatment. But when older people have other health conditions this might affect them having certain types of treatment. Doctors may focus on comfort, and quality of life instead of aggressive treatments especially if the cancer is advanced. They may feel that further tests or treatments might not significantly change your dad's outcome or the side effects from treatment could cause more harm than good.

After a cancer diagnosis patients are discussed within a MDT ( Multi Disciplinary Team) where all the specialists come together to decide the best course of action for each individual patient. The decisions are based upon the type and stage ( size and extent) of cancer and how fit and well they are.

Although, we can't recommend treatment you may find the information on our website on how lung cancer may be treated useful.

I hope this has been of some use. Give us a ring if you would like to talk anything over. The number to call is Freephone 0808 800 4040 and the lines are open from 9am till 5pm Monday to Friday.

Kind regards,

Celene