As you can see from the posts here we have all treatment choices represented, and advocatres for each. Those of us with later stage caners didn't get a choice when it came to having radiation or not, we got it all. As to the mental part of it, Lance Armstrong said it clearly to me at a meeting several years ago. "You can be cancer free, but not free of your cancer". Approaching 7 years out from diagnosis, I still spend part of my time considring the possibilities that it will again be part of my life. I still get the "willies" the month before my annual scans. Visiting docs at MDACC for things not even related to me, but for the foundation, still gives me a quezy feeling in my stomach when I go in to the buildings that I spent so many painful days in. It is just part of being a survivor. The trick is to try and keep the negative or aprehensive thoughts in reasonable proportion to the positive things that are now in front of you.

Brian, stage 4 oral cancer survivor. OCF Founder and Director. The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality. The last is to say thank you. In between, the leader is a servant.