Please read and help if you can…..?

My dads ideal friend, my Uncle Frank has been diagnosed with Oesophageal Cancer. It is a very massive tumour and so they gave him a CAT Scan and he has told us that is 'in both lungs and four other ''hotspots''…..' He has also had lazer treatment on his gullet so that he can eat.
rnnHe hasn't been given a timeframe. (well if he has, he's not telling us…) He's going to have 3 cycles of chemo, each lasting 3 wks, starting asap.
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rnnWhat I want to ask is:
rnn1) Is a 'hotspot' a tech medical term for somewhere else it has spread to or is this just him not wanting to list the places it has spread to?
rnn2) What are the chances of them getting rid of all of it? They can't operate so I'm guessing not good.
rnn3) Survival? How bad are these cancers? How long could he have?
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rnnSorry, I know these are unanswerable questions but I don't want to press my Uncle Frank or Father.
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rnnThanks in advance for any help you can give. x

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Answer:
I’m sorry about your uncle and that you’ve not received answers to your questions. My answer may sound harsh (I don’t mean it to be), but it will be honest.
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rnnA hotspot is a term doctors use to describe an area of cancer usually seen on a PET scan. This is because they light up very bright and are hard to miss. These are areas your uncle’s cancer has started and spread to. The exact areas will be stated on the report.
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rnnThis type of cancer is highly lethal, more than 90% of patient’s die from the disease. Death is usually cased by local disease that results in malnutrition or pneumonia. Most patients have mediastinal lymph node involvement or distant mets when diagnosed.
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rnnTelling you how much time he has left is a hard one. Much of it depends on his treatment and how well he responds to it. Most patients survive 2-7 months or so. I’m sorry none of this is good news, but I hope it helps you and family to make the most out of the time you’ve. Best of luck to you all.

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Answer:
sorry about your uncle. i don't know much about that particular cancer however my Mom has lung cancer and we were told you can't eliminate it, just slow it down and keep it from spreading. why not just ask your Father what the prognosis is? good luck.

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Answer:
You might find some of your answers with someone who has had this terrible disease.
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rnnhttp://www.eccafe.org/sto/mwolfgram/inde…
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rnnGood luck and I hope everything turns out good.

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Answer:
His prognosis is most likely very bad.

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Answer:
I was told I had a hotspot in my chest. I understood it was small and when they radiated my neck they would attempt to get that spot.
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rnnI don't think they have the ability to get rid of it all, and it might pop up somewhere else. That they can't operate isn’t good (the same for me).
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rnnIt is hard for anyone to tell you how long, but they’re saying medicine can't help much. The chemo is probably to make him be a tiny more comfortable.
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rnnI have a stage four breast cancer that moved to my neck. They say treatment at this point would only be palliative, to make me a little more comfortable. I have no pain. I'm trying in my own way to do what I have the ability to through diet and my attitude. It is very overwhelming at first to hear all this and it really depressed me. Now I am doing better and trying to get on with my life.
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rnnYour uncle and your dad probably don't know a whole lot more. Part of it is I don't think we want to know how long usually (or at least I didn't). Spend time with him and help where you can (not more than you can do or want to do).
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rnnThe one thing that may give you a better idea of how far along it is, is to know the stage of the cancer. There are four stages with substages in them. The higher the number the more massive and further along the cancer it.
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rnnI'm sorry that you, your father and uncle are going through this. Find people to talk to. That helps me a lot.

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Answer:
Dear Bugsy,
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rnnI lost both of my parents to cancer many years ago. A hotspot is probably just another area where the cancer can spread substantially and do some greater damage. My mother had bone cancer and my father had bladder cancer. During their latter stages of life with cancer they were unable to get operations to remove it. My mom had serveral operations in the past while my father didn't have any…My mother had her cancer from the time that she was in her early 20s, she died at age 53…As far as survial, prayer, and support will help sustain life and the creator knows how long he has.
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rnnPeace,
rnnSr.Shelia

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Answer:
oh child , i sit here and my heart breaks for you … you want honest answers and i will give them to you ideal i can from my own experience .. and i will be brutally honest ….
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rnnthroat cancer is as difficult to treat as anywhere .. if it is showing in the lungs equally bad .. other hot spots could be liver, spleen, kidneys or any other organ where it has latched on … including the spine … it's hard to state which ones….
rnnuncle frank is a poor risk for surgery of any kind .. he has too many other things going on …
rnnas far as length of time .. it's hard to say .. could be a months or years depending on type and progression .. some move faster than others … i lost my husband in 9 months from the time he was diagnosed .. we were only married 18 months ..
rnnmy advice to you is to let this man do some quality living.. let him smoke , have his wine , whatever makes him happy … it's not going to injured him now …. but as the chemo, kicks in , he will loose his appetite and you’ll struggle to get him to eat .. make anything he asks for even if he only takes a few bites … you know you made it for him .. cater to his every want .. ice cream , sweets .. keep the kids around him .as long as he can tolerate them … make him rest because the chemo will zap him right out … they get weak so fast … you make no mention of radiation therapy, but above all be patient ..and strong .. he doesn't need to see people around him feeling sorry for him, trust me he's dealing with this in his own way … it's a difficult thing to watch happen to someone and know that in this world of all kinds of cures there’s none for this …. please keep me updated on how he is .. i care.. and here's a hug for you … sandy