Is it ok to administer steroids prior to a lung cancer operation?

[alan b]

My father was having an operation on 6th june 2007 to have half his left lung removed due to cancer.
He was very week and they said it was touch and go due to his strength, but he passed (just) the satisfying tests they have to go through to satisfy the surgeons the surgeons to perform the op.
However...he was administered steroids 5 days before his op.
The op was successful all cancer was removed, but his lung stump was leaking air, and they had to operate again due to this.
When they opened him up they said that giving him steroids was a bad move as it had stretched the lung to its capacity and may have contributed to it splitting, causing a leak of air to travel around his body and made his whole face swell up.
He suffered from asthma too, and they tried putting "talc" into a tube into his side to seal the hole before performing a 2nd op.
This reacted with him and he stopped breathing.
He was dependant on oxygen at all times after this. Should this talc be used?
What is the Talc?