I;m sorry to hear about this. Much depends on the person's philosophy of life, including religious beliefs, I would think. He or she is likely wondering how advanced the cancer is, whether it's wise at that age to have surgery, how much pain will there be, will he or she die no matter what is done? Actually, many of the questions would be valid for any of us, other than the fact that people in their 80s are generally not as physically strong as younger people so surgery can be more dangerous. Take care, Carol
dchurch- I am sorry to hear this news for you and your mom. I can't imagine what she must be thinking. And you too. As Carol has said it might be best to weight her options if there are any. What else did the dr say about the lung cancer(any treatments)? If this was me and this is only my opinion. I would not take any treatments probably if i was your mothers age or my dads age he is 79 now. Just because of the age and for the fact that i would not want to be sick for the remaining time that i might have with my family. I wish you and your mom all the luck in the world with your decisions concerning her health condition. (((((Hugs))))) Stormyyyy
Carol