Patrick Swayze Has Pancreatic Cancer

[question everything]

ABC News
Patrick Swayze Has Pancreatic Cancer
Doctors Optimistic About 'Dirty Dancing' Star's Health
By SHEILA MARIKAR

March 5, 2008 —

"Dirty Dancing" star Patrick Swayze has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, but contrary to published reports, his publicist told ABCNEWS.com Wednesday that he is not expected to die from the disease within weeks.

"Patrick has a very limited amount of disease and he appears to be responding well to treatment thus far," Swayze's physician, Dr. George Fisher said in a statement released by the actor's publicist. "All of the reports stating the time frame of his prognosis and his physical side effects are absolutely untrue. We are considerably more optimistic."

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Early Wednesday, the National Enquirer reported that Swayze had "five weeks to live" and his cancer had "spread to other organs." Pancreatic cancer has the highest fatality rate of all cancers, according to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network. The average life expectancy after diagnosis is between three and six months and only 5 percent of those diagnosed live beyond five years.

Swayze, 55, is best known for his role as dance instructor Johnny Castle in the 1987 movie musical "Dirty Dancing." He earned a Golden Globe nomination for that role and went on to co-star with Demi Moore in 1990's "Ghost," which scored an Oscar nomination for best picture.

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http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/CancerPreventionAndTreatment/story?id=4395963

[XOKCowboy]

1. Oh no. My mother died from Pancreatic Cancer..

I hope that the treatment has come farther than 10 yrs ago. Mom was a strong vibrant woman all her life and one day she got a "stomach ache". It didn't go away so she went to the doc. A week later they told her she had 2 months to live. She made it over a year thanks to lots of morphine and wanting to spend as much time with her grandchildren as she could.

I wish Patrick Swayze all the best. Pancreatic cancer is a bitch.

[question everything]

2. I am sorry for your loss

Watching a loved ones slowly fading away is really hard.

Glad your mom got more time than what she was told.