Would someone please tell me how much time is usually left for a patient whose brain cancer has spread to both lungs? A dear friend of mine, who is in very poor condition and cannot have an operation, started with a tumor in his brain that was discovered about six months ago, and then a few months later, a tumor formed in one lung, and then an MRI done last week shows another one has formed in the other lung.
They have not done biopsies, I am thinking they took a wait-and-see stance when they found the brain tumor, since he is too weak for an operation. Since the new tumors in his lungs are there, they must be thinking it's terminal cancer. I am wondering how much time does he likely have left? He has had respiratory failure several times, the first one just before they discovered the brain tumor, and he now has to wear a sealed face mask pretty much all the time, and he is in the hospital, as a result of another respiratory failure. His breathing is quite labored. He also has a muscle wasting disease, cannot walk or use his arms. He is in his mid 50s.
I am thinking I would like to push that Hospice take him home to die there, but am wondering if his time is so short and he is in such bad shape, that he may not have enough time left to warrant that sort of transport and arrangement. But he has been shuffled back and forth between the hospital and the nursing home so many times, and I thought if they do that again this time, and if he has, say, even a month left, surely it would be a kindness to let him go home this time, if they again release him from the hospital. So, if anyone has experience along these lines, I would like to hear about it. Thank you.
GG