Lung cancer survival without treatment is shorter than survival with treatment.
There are many reasons why you may choose not to treat your lung cancer.
How Long Does It Take to Die With Untreated Lung Cancer?
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Why Remain Untreated?
If you have advanced cancer, your ability to toleratechemotherapymay be poor.
Survival Benefits vs. Quality of Life
Sometimes, the survival benefits of cancer treatment may be small.
One is that people reach a certain age when they are “too old” for lung cancer treatment.
For example, they cause less treatment-induced nausea, vomiting, and fatigue.
How fast does lung cancer progress without treatment?
The rate at which lung cancer grows varies from person to person.
On average, however, it generally takes around seven months for an NSCLC tumor to double in size.
Beyond your quality of life or fear of treatment side effects, other issues may influence this decision.
Religious Beliefs
Some people choose to pass on cancer treatment due to religious beliefs.
These include people who are Christian Scientists, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Amish, or Scientologists.
For them, their faith and belief will often direct what is the “right” thing to do.
There is little if any evidence of this ever working.
Doing so can help you make a more informed decision.
Financial Concerns
People sometimes choose to forego treatment for financial reasons.
They may not want to drain what limited savings they have and that their family depends on.
Nobody deserves cancer, and lung cancer occurs insmokers and non-smokers alike.
Moreover, the information must be provided in a language you understand without undue influence or coercion.
Understanding cancer can be difficult.
Sometimes there is miscommunication.
Medical terms may be hard to understand, and treatments can get easily confused and muddled.
You may not be able to fully comprehend it at first.
If you do decide you need more information, ask compassionately.
Talk to your healthcare provider about your prognosis and whether it makes sense for you to pursue treatment.
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