He doesn't have lung or liver cancer, he has colon cancer, with matastasies to liver and lungs. It's an important distinction, because the cancer's behavior is determined by the cells that originally gave rise to it. Those are the cells that have travelled and taken root, causing new tumors elsewhere.
My g.f.'s granny had colon cancer with matastasies to her liver, years ago, and was given 6 months to live, assuming treatment. She preferred not to be treated, lasted three years nonetheless, and was in decent shape for most of that.
My g.f. says her granny was a tough old bird who simply wasn't ready to go. She was annoyed at the doctor's death sentence, and determined to prove him wrong. She was old though--mid 80's--wearied, and passed later, when she was darn good and ready.
Right. The fact is Jim's kid is in a hellua fix, however, it is also a fact that well-supported non-stressed people recover from standardized wounds 9 days faster than age-matched Alzheimer's care-givers. Fearful patients going into surgery have much higher infection rates (don't have the figures handy). Attitude makes a huge difference.
My mom's seen it all -- she's been treating cancer patients nearly as long as Jim's been designing electronics. She often reports that patients who are involved in and participate in their care fare *much* better. Often, she spots them, and knows who'll do well and who won't. Patients who merely show up to be worked on, passively, like bringing their car to a mechanic, don't do as well. Patients who are distraught don't fare as well.
Why? Poorly understood, of course. Scads of hard science shows fear and distress measureably and dramatically suppress immune function, while prayer, meditation, and visualization improve it. Maybe that's why. Or maybe not. But it's real.
The upshot is that Jim's kid *can* improve his chances a lot simply by choosing to.
Heartfelt best wishes to Jim and family,
James Arthur