Hi there! I'm not an expert, but my dad was diagnosed with Stage IV Small Cell Lung Cancer in February 2007, so I know exactly what you are going through. When he was checked into the hospital, he had a tumor in his brain, 7 tumors along his spine, and a large mass in his right lung. The tumor in his brain was surgically removed, he had radiation for the tumors on his spine, and took Tarceva for the rest. He was doing great and the doctor told us that he was partial remission in February. In June, he had a PET scan and we found that the cancer had spread in his right lung and is now in the left lung and hip joint. After his brain surgery, I just looked down on him and kept asking myself, "How could we do this to him?" His poor body went through so much.
To answer your question, is your dad strong enough to go through treatment? How does he feel about it? The doctors told us later that they thought he only had a month to live from the time he was diagnosed, but he is still with us 1 year and 5 months later. I think it just depends on their will to survive. My dad is 71 years old, but is determined to beat this thing. I know as their kids it is so hard to see them go through this. You have to ask yourself what his quality of life will be like during treatment. There is no clear cut answer, unfortunately. I hate every minute of it and don't ever wish this upon anyone. My heart goes out to you and your brothers. God bless.