Yesterday my family and I were told, that my Dad aged 96, has secondary cancer. It started as skin cancer ( squamous cell carcinoma) on his head 2 years ago.
He had surgery to cut the cancer out. 10 months later they did a Curettage and electrodessication. Followed up by 10 treatments of Radiotherapy.
Through all of this my dad has remained positive and took it all his stride. Trusted the Drs & Nurses to choose his treatments, as they are the experts.
Unfortunately 3 months after being given the all clear, he noticed a swelling in his neck. And the the surrounding area of the where the cancer had been, started to break down. After a trip to the GP, and a course of antibiotics, the swelling grew. Our Dr contacted the hospital. A consultation with his dermatologist resulted in a surgeon being called to the room and a Ultra Sound, Needle Biopsy and MRI arranged for the following week. 2 weeks later we've been told the cancer attaccells are attacking his lymph nodes. There is no spread to the rest of the body (yet?!?)
Unfortunately all treatment has been ruled out. Both typically ruled as to dangerous. The surgery and radiation would be far to much for Dad to be coping with at his age. So the Pain Management team have been contacted. I know this basically means Palliative Care, but nobody has said how long this could go on for?
Is it aggressive? Will it spread? How long do we have left with him? Do we just carry on as normal?
All questions that I thought in the appointment with his Dr, but couldn't bring myself to say out loud.
If anyone has any tips or insight, I'd love to hear something
Many thanks x