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Suggest Treatment For Severe Cough

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Posted on Mon, 3 Apr 2017
Question: This is about my 82 yr old father. He has had a cough for a long time. Recently, he has loss
of appetite, lost weight and feeling tired. He has had prostate cancer in the past, but,
so far, that has not gotten worse. Recently, he did have an x-ray, and it showed some white
fluffy small spots in the lung area. My father will not go in for CT scan or MRI. Do you know what could be wrong,and how, if cancer, it could be treated? Tks.Not a question. Just wanted to say, my father is caucasion. Does not
drink or smoke. Many years ago, he worked for a propane gas company,
as a service repair man. Not sure if that would be a cause of anything.
doctor
Answered by Dr. Ivo Ditah (31 minutes later)
Brief Answer:
This could be Cancer!

Detailed Answer:
Hi and thank you so much for this query.

I am so sorry to hear about what your dad is going through. I have reviewed his information fully and this is what I have to say.

1. Hi symptoms of weight loss, fatigue and loss of appetite, in addition to a past history of prostate cancer and these findings on the X-ray are concerning for another possible cancer. We would not know whether it is for sure cancer and what type of cancer it is without further evaluation. Somehow, it will be very important for him to accept further evaluation so as to benefit from the best possible care after the diagnosis is established.

2. If it were cancer, treatment choices depend on the primary location and whether it has spread to other areas or not. If it has spread to other areas, then chemotherapy and radiotherapy are often the preferred choices. If it is confined and can be conveniently excised, then surgery is often the way forward.

I hope this guides and helps. I wish you well and pray your dad gets to change his mindset and accept carrying out further investigations. Investigating this forward is the only way we can be sure of helping him.

Kind regards and feel free to follow up with me if you have further worries.
Note: For more detailed guidance, please consult an Internal Medicine Specialist, with your latest reports. Click here..

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
doctor
Answered by
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Dr. Ivo Ditah

Internal Medicine Specialist

Practicing since :2002

Answered : 3984 Questions

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Suggest Treatment For Severe Cough

Brief Answer: This could be Cancer! Detailed Answer: Hi and thank you so much for this query. I am so sorry to hear about what your dad is going through. I have reviewed his information fully and this is what I have to say. 1. Hi symptoms of weight loss, fatigue and loss of appetite, in addition to a past history of prostate cancer and these findings on the X-ray are concerning for another possible cancer. We would not know whether it is for sure cancer and what type of cancer it is without further evaluation. Somehow, it will be very important for him to accept further evaluation so as to benefit from the best possible care after the diagnosis is established. 2. If it were cancer, treatment choices depend on the primary location and whether it has spread to other areas or not. If it has spread to other areas, then chemotherapy and radiotherapy are often the preferred choices. If it is confined and can be conveniently excised, then surgery is often the way forward. I hope this guides and helps. I wish you well and pray your dad gets to change his mindset and accept carrying out further investigations. Investigating this forward is the only way we can be sure of helping him. Kind regards and feel free to follow up with me if you have further worries.