Drs. #3 and 4- University of Miami's Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center chief of surgery and head oncologist:

A few hours later that same day we drove down to Miami and met with the chief of surgery from UM's Sylvester Center. He had a completely different opinion. He wants to do surgery to remove the tumor and all but the top 3 inches of his esophagus. However, he said that could be dangerous because of my dad's previous lung surgery in 2000. He doesn't think it's metastatic because my dad doesn't show any clinical symptoms of advanced cancer. He said he's healthy looking and doesn't have the physical symptoms. He thinks the lymph nodes are inflamed from the gallbladder and liver infection and surgery and still from the antibiotics. So that's more positive news at least.

The surgeon had the head hematologist come in and give her opinion and then had her put in a request for the blocks and all the slides of everything they have to be brought over and stained for her2neu, pdl1, microsatellites, and to recheck his liver.

Then they switched and we saw their head oncologist who said 100% it's esophageal cancer, probably T3, but he doesn't think it's stage 4 like the other doctors had said. Although, like them he is not sure of the N either, but he thinks it's M0 which is wonderful news. He thinks in between stage 2 and 3 and that it's not as ominous. He thinks the PET scan was a false positive for it showing up in the bone as it doesn't usually spread there or present like that. He said it would be very unusual. Although, that's not unlike my dad's care so far. Everything about his case has been uncommon and strange.

Like the previous UM doctors he took his time to read all the reports and images and also asked for more slides to be send and looked at again. He said if for sure it turns out to be metastatic then there's no cure and it's lifelong because it will spread through the lymphatic system and can pop up again years later as a different type of cancer. Otherwise it's an easier, treatable treatment regime. He wants 6 weeks of a once a week chemotherapy session and then surgery. He also wants to put in a port. On his plan my dad will come in for treatment in the morning and then leave the next night. He developed a new regime of 4 drugs which he uses in different combinations and strengths each week for 3 weeks, followed by a rest week off, and then repeat it all over again once more. He developed the program in Germany because they had more trial participants, 1,000+, and no FDA to worry about. He said it works on most patients. He told my dad to enjoy the holiday season and then come back for treatment after the new year. He was all positive and optimistic. He said a lot of hopeful things we liked to hear and is confident about the future.