Possible lung cancer?

First of all, this post is in reference to my boyfriend, and let me start off by saying I know. I know that he needs to see a professional. But he isn't, so this is the best I can do. About a year ago, my boyfriend developed a terrible cough. He'd cough so hard he would gag, and it wasn't long before he was coughing up blood. He's stubborn and insisted he was fine. He ended up in the hospital a few months later due to a diabetic episode. He told the doctor he had been coughing up blood and they took xrays and found several spots on his lungs. The doctor said it didn't look good and that he needed to see a specialist. He told him that, if it was lung cancer, he would give him about two years to live. This was about 7 or 8 months ago, and my boyfriend has yet to see a specialist. But, curiously, he has had no progression in his sickness. He coughs the same as he did a year ago, the same amount of blood. He also said he feels no different. He doesn't feel weak or tired. Though he does have night sweats. My question is, doesn't lung cancer progress quickly? Is it possible to be in a stage of lung cancer where you are coughing up blood and have visible spots on yours lungs, but go almost a year with no change in your health? I have hopes that there may be another cause to his symptoms. Any opinions?