I know every case is different, but for what it's worth, my husband was a chemo, then chemo/radiation patient, with surgery left on the table as a possibilty, if needed. He's one of the lucky ones, the chemo/rad's worked very well (2 clear scans, knock on wood). It's our understanding that what really works to kill this cancer is not the chemo (only shrinks), but the radiation.

Have the explained the risks to you of going both ways? My husband had the same 2 options, although from 2 different institutions, and the chances of survival were the same either way. My thoughts are if you're at a really good CCC, let them try to get it with the chemo/rad, then use surgery as a salvage treatment, hopefully avoiding the further insult of surgery.