Met with my surgeon today. Learned the following. I have a stomach hernia but he won't allow surgery until 18 months after the major surgery (May 2012). The reason is that any invasive procedure 'distracts' the body from its normal infection fighting. The body can, in fact, combat and eliminate cancer cells in small doses so this 18 months period post-tumour removal is critical. If you get through that cancer free, you are likely to remain so for a prolonged period. Normal advice - lose weight, move more, eat/drink less.