There are others making similar inquiries here this week. Be sure to read the responses that those folks are getting - in addition to comments here in this thread.

Many of us (all of us?) have rationalized our risk factors for this cancer. The cause is no longer relevant. The cancer is. Be sure you are getting not fewer than 2 opinions about his diagnosis, his treatment options (no, its not too late to question his tx plan) and his after care strategies. Have your doc talk to you about all the other treatment options that he isn't getting. And why.

Many, many docs do not treat this cancer aggressively enough on the first round. They want to spare the patient the difficulties of aggressive treatment. Get an opinion from specialists who are successfully treating this type of cancer. Don't just consult one group of docs. The stakes are high.

Don't trust PET scans read by docs unfamiliar with this type of cancer. Don't trust docs who trust PET scans as their primary diagnostic mechanism. Its just one of many good tools used to gather data - often conflicting data - about the diagnosis. Remember,it ain't cancer till a tissue biopsy says it is, and "clean margins" from a surgery guarantees very little.

Stage 3 cancers are the 'big leagues'. Find some experts on this disease. Choose a treatment plan from a selection of treatment plans. You can do this, but you gotta do it right the first time. Fight hard. Fight smart. Be strong. Tom