In an interview with Good Morning America on September 17, 2019, the host of the popular game show Jeopardy! said that his doctors decided to have him resume treatment after he lost about 12 pounds in a week and his numbers “went sky high, much higher than they were when I was first diagnosed.” Trebek first announced that he had been diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer in March 2019. He vowed to fight the disease and beat the low survival statistics for his diagnosis. The news comes as a disappointing setback for the legions of fans rooting for Trebek. Until now, reports indicated he had responded so well to his chemotherapy that he might not have to do any more. Trebek told People magazine in May, “The doctors said they hadn’t seen this kind of positive result in their memory … some of the tumors have already shrunk by more than 50 percent.” The game show host resumed taping the 36th season of Jeopardy! on August 30, 2019, after releasing a video the previous day to update fans on his progress. “I’ve gone through a lot of chemotherapy and thankfully that is all over and I’m on the mend. That’s all I can hope for right now,” he announced at that time. Trebek continues to be open and honest about his diagnosis and treatment. In the GMA interview, he revealed that until his recent downturn, doctors had planned on initiating immunotherapy rather than have him return to chemotherapy. “I was doing so well. And my numbers went down to the equivalent of a normal human being who does not have pancreatic cancer,” said Trebek. Up until now, Trebek hasn’t missed a single day of work as a result of his illness, and he has no plans to stop hosting Jeopardy! Trebek told GMA that he is not afraid of death. “The thought of passing on doesn’t frighten me. Other things do. The effect it will have on my loved ones. Yes, that bothers me. It makes me sad. But the thought of myself moving on? Hey, folks, it comes with the territory,” he said. Trebek, 78, was born and raised in Ontario and graduated from the University of Ottawa with a degree in philosophy. He began his career as a newscaster and game show host in his home country and migrated to the United States in 1973 to work as a host for NBC. Trebek has won five Emmy Awards in the outstanding game show host category.
Pancreatic Cancer Is Difficult to Diagnose
Approximately 53,000 people in the United States will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer this year, accounting for about 3 percent of all diagnosed cancers. Although relatively rare, ranking as the 11th most common cancer, it’s the third-leading cause of cancer death, after lung cancer and colon cancer, according to the American Cancer Society (ACS). It’s estimated that 45,750 people will die of pancreatic cancer this year. About 1 in 2 people have stage 4 pancreatic cancer at the time of their diagnosis. Survival statistics are based on large groups of people, and no one can predict how an individual will respond to treatment. People with stage 4 pancreatic cancer have a five-year survival rate of 3 percent, according to the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO). That means that 3 people out of 100 with stage 4 pancreatic cancer will still be alive after five years. The mainstay of treatment for this stage of cancer is chemotherapy, said Davendra Sohal, MD, MPH, an oncologist at Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, in a previous interview about Trebek’s diagnosis. “These chemotherapy regimens are pretty aggressive, and they work well. They’re able to control the disease,” he said. “We also work very aggressively to maintain quality of life and minimize symptoms from the cancer as well minimizing side effects from the chemotherapy,” said Dr. Sohal. Fatigue, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and hair loss can happen as a result of treatment, he said. Medications can help with some of those side effects, and doctors keep a close eye on a person’s body weight and white blood cell count, said Sohal. “It’s a process. I often tell patients that the two parallel goals are increasing quantity of life, while also maintaining quality of life,” he said. What does success in fighting cancer look like in stage 4 pancreatic cancer? “Success to us is if we can have a person carry on for years and not months of life, while also maintaining quality of life,” said Sohal. “Quality of life is a big component of cancer care, especially in pancreas cancer. We have patients doing reasonably well on these newer chemotherapy regimens for some time,” he said.
