Girlcat & Joanna:

Thank you for your input. I hopefully start chemo/rad. next monday. I still have PEG tube in so I hope to keep my nutritional needs met.

JOANNA: You bring up a point that I would like to discuss/research more: Since this disease is heavily linked to addictive behaviors (drinking and tobacco use), how much of the stats are skewed because people are unable/unwilling to quit the addictions after diagnosis. It just seems to me that this would play a huge role in the stats that I read.

Please let me have anyone thoughts on this issue, and any empirical evidence they may have come across.

Good Luck To All & Please Live Each Day With Dignity!

Mike