Whenever someone is diagnosed with cancer...?!
Question: Does the doctor aslways give them a life expectancy? because my dad is in the hospital and the think he might have lung cancer.
Answers: Does the doctor aslways give them a life expectancy? because my dad is in the hospital and the think he might have lung cancer.
no
they only sometimes do, like if the cancer is unstoppable. If ther's any chance they could kill the cancer i don't think they would. Sorry about your dad
Being diagnosed with any cancer can be a frightening experience. Just hearing the "C" word can be terrifying enough. It is extremely difficult to predict expected survival once cancer is diagnosed for several reasons:
1) Different malignancies behave differently. Some are more aggressive than other.
2) What stage is it? The earlier the cancer is detected, the higher the chances for recovery and potential cure.
3) What treatments are available? Possibilities may include chemotherapy, radiation or surgery.
4) Even if the malignancy cannot be cured, it may be possible to treat it and achieve remission or temporary relief.
5) Even if above is known, predicting life expectancy is extremely difficult because available statistics are based on averages for an entire population, not individuals. There are countless instances where "the doctor was wrong."
Your physician would be the best source for these questions. I wish you and your family the best.
not always. it depends on what stage the cancer is at. if it's at an early stage, yes, the doctor will give them a life expectancy.
Depending on how far along the cancer is do they rarely give you a life expectancy. My father was diagnosed with prostate cancer last December and had major surgery twice this year. At most his doctor's have said he can live upwards of 20 years if he undergoes radiation and hormone therapy. His brother died of lung cancer last May. Because of the advancement of the cancer he was given only 3 months (they stated he wouldn't see New Years 2007.) He lived for nearly 7 months.
I sincerely wish you and your family the best of luck and hopefully your father will not have that dreaded disease.
i hope its benign...
Not all cancer has a death sentence. Please stay optimistic. If you lose hope, it can also affect the attitude of your father.
My nephew was within days of dying from a form of lymphoma when he was diagnose. His doctor did not hesitate to put him on aggressive chemo therapy. He was in the hospital for over a year. Unbelievable! His doctor would not give up and neither did my nephew. He has been cancer free for over 6 months now.
Don't give up HOPE.
Trust in GOD.
Life expectancies are very unrealiable and not really worth giving so we don't very often. We try not to speculate on how long out patients may have because it's normally wrong. We can't tell how long someone has and it's only a guestimate which can vary widely depending on what treatment we give and how the cancer responds. Hope that helps.
Sorry to hear about your dad, I hope it isn't cancer.
No, it isn't usual for a doctor to give a life expectancy estimate at diagnosis.
Even when the cancer is incurable, nobody can predict exactly what will happen. Some people ask how long they've got, and a doctor may tell them what MIGHT happen, given the statistics for their particular type of cancer and their particular situation. Sometimes a patient interprets (in answer to a direct question) 'Yes, you could die within six months, but it's not likely' to mean 'You've got six months to live', but doctors are rarely that precise, because they of all people know how unpredictable cancer is.
No. If the cancer is in any way treatable they won't give you a life expectancy. At least they shouldn't. Most doctors want their patients to stay as positive as possible and giving them a life expectancy defeats that.