Since he had cancer in the esophagus and there was no test to see if it had penetrated the wall, it was suggested surgery would be the only potential procedure for long term survival. Plus there was another much smaller tumor towards the throat. The tumors reacted very well to 4 weeks of chemo, then 28 days of chemo/radiation. Basically they could not be seen. He was 73 when he was diagnosed and in very good shape so we opted for surgery. No one knows for sure so you need to follow your heart and head in your decision. I wish you well with the radiation.