I wouldn't take the surgeons comments to mean that there is not hope. There are situations in which the surgery at this time would be too drastic, and the resulting morbidity (damage) would be an unacceptable exchange for the progress made. This is a completely logical approach. Chemotherapy, may be able to reduce the size of the tumor mass to a point which surgery is a possibility in the future. As to posting on these message boards: First I would like to welcome you to OCF, I wish it was under better circumstances, but I am glad that you have found us. Also remember that on all message boards, here and elsewhere on the web, a wide variety of people are posting. Some with personal experiences, which may or MAY NOT apply to your situation. Some are medical or dental professionals, though they seldom identify themselves as such since the liabilities of giving advice over the web to a patient you have never actually seen is a lawsuit in the making. Some are individuals who are family members of people who have been through the experience. These are all personal perspectives which are posted here, and as such, they are no substitute for sound advice from a medical professional who has seen the patient. Much of what you read are opinions and not necessarily facts that apply to you. For instance, while well informed, and a survivor of this cancer, I am not a doctor, and I only am speculating on the situation that you have described. So read it all with a grain of salt. Take to heart ( and to your doctors) ideas and comments that ring true to you for their opinions. Having said all that, there has been some very helpful information exchanged on these boards, and for sure, there is a ton of emotional support posted which we all need when we go through times like these. I