Hi Mark,    I had a similar experience with my dad when he was diagnosed with prostate cancer which had spread and was given only a few months to live. Dad refused to acknowledge that he had cancer, he wouldn't even refer to it as cancer (in fact I don't ever remember him using that word), and he was adamant that all the doctors were "idiots".    It's important to have someone close to you that you can vent to, confide in, open up to. For me it was my older brother and I would not have been able to cope with dad's journey if it weren't for him.    My brother and I felt he same - the oncology specialist had a great reputation for the work she did, but spent very little time with us or dad and her intern's did most of the visits to the ward. Even then it was only for 5mins or so and they would move on. We kept requesting to see the specialist, every day we asked her interns and nurses and whoever we could. Eventually she met us for 5mins which was the most insightful 5mins we ever had. It wasn't great news when we spoke to the specialist but at least it put things into perspective for us.    Regarding the research, there is too much conflicting info on the internet. Grab what info you can from cancer information centres (there might be one at the hospital) or even reach out to Cancer Council and they can provide you with some info too. Try to get info from trusted sources.   I hope this helps, and all the best to you and your mum.  ... View more