The survival rates for stage IV pancreatic cancer are low, as “Jeopardy!” host Alex Trebek noted in his March 6 video in which he told the world that he was suffering from the disease. Trebek, 78, noted in his video that he was joining the other 50,000 Americans who are already battling the disease.
Trebek conceded in the video, which was uploaded to the “Jeopardy!” YouTube channel, “Now normally, the prognosis for this is not very encouraging, but I’m going to fight this, and I’m going to keep working. And with the love and support of my family and friends and with the help of your prayers also, I plan to beat the low survival rate statistics for this disease.” The “Jeopardy!” host closed with a joke saying, “Truth told, I have to! Because under the terms of my contract, I have to host Jeopardy! for three more years! So help me. Keep the faith and we’ll win. We’ll get it done. Thank you.”
Surgery Is Not an Option for Stage IV Pancreatic Cancer
According to the American Cancer Society, a person with stage IV pancreatic cancer has a 3 percent chance of surviving five years with the disease. Most pancreatic cancer patients are diagnosed at the stage IV stage. The disease most commonly spreads to the liver, abdominal wall, lungs, bones and faraway lymph nodes. The most common therapy is chemotherapy as the cancer has spread, surgery is not an option at stage IV.
The average survival rate is between two and six months with treatment only being able to improve the quality of life. Interestingly, younger people and older people respond in a similar manner to treatments.
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