My fathers cancer has spread from his lung, liver, face  and bones. Today it was suggested that he cease treatment and utilize palliative care  as his cancer has grown not shrunk. How long can we expect him to survive now? He is virtually wheelchair bound.
Hi, Thanks for writing in. A patient with cancer in lung that has spread to liver, face probably involving lymph nodes and bones, is stage 4 disease and survival is 2 years with good treatment and supportive care. It is important to know when the cancer was first detected and which stage it was found to be in. If it was stage 4 cancer from its detection then the survival is to be calculated from then, Pain is a problem in many cancer patients and if there has been limited response to cancer treatment then pain relief is to be given so that the patient might feel comfortable. Many people might live for 6 months to a year following cessation of cancer treatment and on pain relief treatment. Please discuss dose adjustment with the doctor. Please do not worry.