Hi Downing23 and thank you for your post.

I’m so sorry you dad has been diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer. It must feel overwhelming right now.

When someone is too unwell, doctors often pause chemo because it can make things worse. If your dad gets stronger, they may look at chemo again, but it depends on his blood tests and how his body is coping. It may help to read our webpage on changing your chemotherapy plan.

There isn’t a set time – they usually check every week or two to see if things have improved.

Stage 4 cancer treatment isn’t a cure, but it can help slow things down and ease symptoms. If chemo isn’t possible, the team will talk about other ways to keep him comfortable and give him the best quality of life. We have information about palliative treatment on our website.

It’s okay to hope, and it’s also okay to ask the doctors what signs they’ll look for before trying chemo again. They can give you the clearest picture for your dad.

It is also crucial to prioritise your own well-being while caring for someone who has cancer.

It can be very emotionally draining on the family who is trying to support someone who has cancer; you must be supported too. The hospital where your dad is being treated may have a cancer information and support centre, and sometimes these are run by the hospital or Macmillan Cancer Support. There may also be a Maggies where your dad, you and the family can go to speak to someone and get some support.

I hope this information is useful and you know more about your dad’s situation soon.

Take care of yourself too – you matter in this as well.

It might help to talk things through with one of our nurses on the helpline. You can call for free on 0808 800 4040, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.

Kind regards

Tina