jetboss57

Hi.
I have been researching NSCLC for months because my mother, who is 75 has been diagnosed with it as well. She smoked for 65 years, and what I can tell you with all certainty is that HER type of cancer is DEFINATELY caused from smoking. If you look up the type of cancers you will see what I mean.
My Mom has squamous non-small cell. This is a slow growing kind, it creeps up on a person for years before any symptoms and by the time you have the symptoms, whammy, your really sick and in stage III or IV.
Dr's just told my Mom her's is Stage IIIB, however from what I've read if it mets outside the chest lymph nodes, its really a IV, cause squamous cancer usually starts in the bronchi, then to the lungs, then mets elsewhere., and unless the mets are tumors, in other places it is hard to track even in a PET scan where the little devil cells went.
They suggested Radiation therapy only, its not a cure we are told, its just to slow things down, and probably my mom refused it cause she wants to spend her last days living to the fullest. She quit smoking and has been breathing better, so far so good. The first pulmonary Dr in Tx before I moved her to live with us, gave her 6 mo - 1 yr without having done a biopsy. She got a biopsy here in MO recently, and a new PET, and now its Stage IIIB, but this one tumor is closing off her left upper lung entrance. Not good.
I have a hard time understanding how anyone can predict how long a person will live. Life ends when a person gives up the will to live from everything I have witnessed. I have a very strong willed Mother, thankfully and she isn't going down without a fight.
Best wishes with your Dad, and I will hold him along with my Mom in prayer.
Look up on the net, Squamous Non-small cell and you will see this is the kind that is caused by smoking. The others don't make that claim.
Find out from his Doctor the type of cancer?