Dawn,
How long can your dad live with advanced stage lung cancer? I've lived 13 and a half years. If I can live, so can your father.
Susan's advice about statistics is good. If you must read something about survival statistics, then read this. And listen to the Stephen J. Gould essay cited in the document.
I, like Susan, spent at least 2 years fretting about how long I'd live. When I look back on that time, I realize how wasteful an endeavor fretting about life span is. Years later, I've come to the realization that my attitude about life and treatments directly affects the quality of both. Here is an essay I posted that expands on that point of view.
Your dad will likely undergo treatment that will extend his life. How long is the wrong question, my view. How well is the relevant question. Welcome here. You'll have many questions and this is a good place to ask.
Stay the course.
Tom
Indeed, RayJ, retired Master Sergeants can handle anything.
I understand from your post, the first treatment approach was to use a new immunotherapy drug, Tecentriq, and you didn't tell us how long you were on it but it didn't cause the tumor to shrink. So you went down the path of first line treatment and it didn't work. My first line treatment experience was nearly similar but my chemo was "Old Reliable" (if an Army Master Sergeant, you know what the quotes mean) Taxol and Carboplatin. Then I was slated for surgery with the same uncertain outcome of opening me up and perhaps discovering they could not do anything but close me up again. But they did take my entire lung. Unfortunately, that operation was not completely successful and I had a years worth of thoracic surgeries to repair damage and perform "creative plumbing". Then, rigid four bronchoscopes with full anesthesia to insert, then remove stents in my trachea to bolster the creative plumbing repairs. Then, after the cancer metastasized to my remaining lung, I did the chemotherapy thing again - the old reliable stuff, 12 more infusions. And, then CyberKnife radiation; I had more than three years of constant treatment but it worked. I've now survived 13.5 years after diagnosis, and the point of this reveal is if I can live, so can you.
So, put on your battle rattle, lock and load, and proceed purposefully down range to engage and defeat your lung cancer. Welcome here Master Sergeant! Questions? Lead the way.
Stay the course.
Tom
