Brian, I totally agree with you about the alcohol and cigarettes, although, the doc who told him they could`nt say what caused it had the sensitivity of a rat, he advised against surgery, told Frank he wouldn`t look human, first big mistake.........I think Frank knew he caused the cancer, he continued to smoke for 2 yrs after his first radiation, and I think when this happens there`s almost a death wish involved, I simply could not get him to stop. He stopped when he got the tracha and I don`t think that`s what stoppped him, his whole outlook just changed, it was his wakeup call, I don`t know if it was the nearness of death, but he decided he wasn`t going to let it beat him and hung in for 3 more years.Truth be told, my personal opinion, there are other issues involved, perhaps genetic, environmental. Case in point,my Mother died suddenly,she smoked 3 packs a day. I read her autopsy report and her lungs were pink and fine, I expected them to be full of tar and crap, go figure.....I think the point is, nicotine is a drug we don`t need, it causes more than just cancer, high blood pressure, circulation problems, anxiety,and certainly a waste of money. When you stop smoking, it gives you a lot of freedom, no worry about running out, no concerns about nonsmoking areas, in my case, a decrease in anxiety, and certainly more money in our pockets. If we smoke and we get cancer, it`s something we can`t change. We understand that we made a big mistake, stop smoking and get on with the battle.We all make mistakes, and we can`t change them. We wouldn`t learn much in life if we didn`t make mistakes..........Dee