Patrick Swayze has five weeks to live? - Enquirer Story- Page 2

[Gothampc]

Posted: 3/5/08 at 2:54pm

Ghost was a great movie. It really should be considered one of the classics.

[nitsua]

Posted: 3/5/08 at 2:55pm

It's one of my personal classics.

[Silbee]

Posted: 3/5/08 at 2:58pm

This story, with The Enquirer as the source, is being covered extensively on the wires.

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/showbiz/a90903/patrick-swayze-suffering-from-cancer.html

[nitsua]

Posted: 3/5/08 at 2:59pm

What does Patrick have to say about it?

"His recent work includes Donnie Darko...."

Yeah, 6 years ago.

Updated On: 3/5/08 at 02:59 PM

[Silbee]

Posted: 3/5/08 at 3:04pm

"What does Patrick have to say about this?"

Hopefully, "Reports of my imminent demise are greatly exaggerated."
Updated On: 3/5/08 at 03:04 PM

[YouWantitWhen????]

Posted: 3/5/08 at 5:23pm

Unfortunately, it has been confirmed by his publicist:

"Patrick Swayze has pancreatic cancer, his publicist confirmed on Wednesday.

The average life expectancy of someone diagnosed with cancer of the pancreas is six to nine months, with only 4 percent of patients living more than five years.

And, according to the National Enquirer, who broke the sad news first, Patrick's cancer has already spread to other parts of his body - making his chances of survival even more slim.

Swayze's rep said he may only have weeks to live."
Sad Confirmation

[DottieD'Luscia]

Posted: 3/5/08 at 5:30pm

And here's a somewhat different and more optimistic story from MSN:


MSN's version

[Elphaba]

Posted: 3/5/08 at 6:39pm

just so sad......

[uncageg]

Posted: 3/5/08 at 6:45pm

I trust the AP report more than the National Enquirer report.

[rosscoe(au)]

Posted: 3/5/08 at 6:58pm

Has also been picked up by news reports in Australia using footage from CNN

[YouWantitWhen????]

Posted: 3/5/08 at 6:58pm

Dottie, I am hoping your report ends up being the most accurate!

[iflitifloat]

Posted: 3/5/08 at 7:05pm

Well, as a nurse, I have yet to hear a doctor throw out something like "your have five weeks to live". I've only heard a guess ventured during the last days of someone's life. I'm sure the prognosis isn't good if it has already spread to other organs, but the "he has five weeks to live" sounds like vintage Enquirer spin.

On the other hand, I find the publicist's statement that he is going about life on a regular schedule to be a bit of a rose-colored glasses version, too.

Either way, it's sad.

[RetroBoy]

Posted: 3/5/08 at 7:08pm

This is beyond sad...

[SueleenGay]

Posted: 3/5/08 at 7:10pm

And although a bit sensational, the Enquirer proves once again to be accurate.

I would LOVE for people to start posting all the Enquirer stories from the last five years that proved to be lies.


Either way, I wish Swayze comfort and happiness in his fight.

[Calvin]

Posted: 3/5/08 at 9:42pm

Correct, iflit. When someone says someone has X amount of time to live, what they're really saying is that some high percentage of people who receive this diagnosis are dead within X amount of time. But even if that percentage is 100 percent, there's always a chance someone will live longer than they think.

It's like that commercial for one of the cancer centers -- a pancreatic cancer survivor, coincidentally enough, I believe -- who talks about the doctor who told her that she doesn't have "an expiration date stamped to her foot." Here's hoping Swayze can beat the odds or at least be made very comfortable as he fights this.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 3/5/08 at 9:47pm

The Enquirer has been right a lot. It is still the Enquirer however

It it has been the Globe or World Weekly News, I would totally discount it.

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 3/5/08 at 9:53pm

Very sad news.

[best12bars]

Posted: 3/5/08 at 10:14pm

Indeed.

I hope he's not suffering.

[kover22]

Posted: 3/5/08 at 10:41pm

Swayze Battling Cancer
By Joal Ryan
Wed, 5 Mar 2008 02:34:08 PM PST

Patrick Swayze is undergoing treatment for pancreatic cancer but does not have just weeks to live, the actor's reps and doctor said Wednesday.

"Patrick has a very limited amount of disease and he appears to be responding well to treatment so far," Dr. George Fisher, Swayze's personal physician, said in a statement. "All of the reports stating the timeframe of his prognosis and his physical side effects are absolutely untrue."

Fisher's remarks were in rebuttal to the National Enquirer, which broke the news of Swayze's illness on its website and said the Dirty Dancing star had recently dropped 20 pounds and been given only five weeks to live.

"Patrick is continuing his normal schedule during this time," the actor's reps said, "which includes working on upcoming projects."

Speaking to E! News, Swayze's mother, dancer and choreographer Patsy Swayze, echoed the optimism of the star's doctor.

"I don't really want to talk about it, but I know he's sick," Patsy Swayze said. "But he has great doctors and a great prognosis, and that's all I can say."

According to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, pancreatic cancer is the deadliest of the leading cancers. Fewer than 5 percent of patients live more than five years after diagnosis.

Swayze, 55, was recently cast as a gay cheerleading instructor in Fired Up, a big-screen comedy that began shooting last month.

As recently as Monday, Swayze was spotted running an errand at a Simi Valley, California, dance studio. An employee there told E! News the actor "looked good" and not at all as if he'd lost a lot of weight.

Producer Bobby Schwartz, who worked with Swayze last summer on the as yet unreleased indie drama Powder Blue, likewise vouched for the star's fitness on that set.

"When we were shooting, the guy looked very young, very healthy, very energetic," Schwartz told E! News.

He also filmed an A&E pilot in December called The Beast, in which he stars as an unconventional, undercover FBI agent. The network said Wednesday it was still considering the show for pickup next season.

Swayze is best known for a string of hits in the 1980s and 1990s that included Ghost, Point Break, Road House and the career-changer, Dirty Dancing, in which he played Catskills bad boy Johnny Castle.

—Additional reporting by Whitney English

from E! on-line

[vbplayer]

Posted: 3/5/08 at 11:03pm

I wish him the best. 5 wweks or 5 years....who wants to EVER go through smoething like this? Godspeed.

[Elphaba]

Posted: 3/6/08 at 1:14pm

Apparently this is what Donna Reed died from, which I never knew. Steve was friends with her daughter and new her well, and he said one day she seemed fine, and then she very quickly deteriorated......hopefully things have gotten better since then.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 3/6/08 at 1:31pm

Sadly, they haven't gotten much better. Certain cancers like pancreatic and ovarian have seen fewer advances in treatment, mostly because it's so much more difficult to detect them. By the time they're detected, most cases are too advanced to detect.

So let's all vow to take care of our loved ones are make sure we all get the screenings that ARE out there for more detectable cancers like breast, prostate and colon.

Good health, everyone! Think pink.

[DayDreamer]

Posted: 3/6/08 at 2:06pm

Dr. Randy Pausch's "Last Lecture" about being diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer. 10 minutes. Worth it. (this is the condensed version he did on Oprah
Last Lecture

[DG]

Posted: 3/6/08 at 2:11pm

The TinMan's late partner died from Pancreatic Cancer at age 42. He lasted 18 months after diagnosis, but it was an excruciatingly painful and horrific physical deterioration. He ended up weighing practically nothing, and was basically one nerve ending registering pain.

My thoughts are with Mr. Swayze at this time.
Updated On: 3/9/08 at 02:11 PM

[sabrelady]

Posted: 3/8/08 at 10:04am

O.K. so I guess the oncology nurse weighs in now. Pancreatic is one of the most deadly diseases. HOW ever IF the disease is localized( ie no metastasis) the prognosis improves there may even be a surgical role ( A form of a Whipple procedure) . There is one form of the disease ( neuro endocrine) that does go longer I think that's the 5% they are refering to for the 5 yr survival. As for time- patients and familys always ask- genrally speaking we look @ decreasing performance status and lab values to give a time frame. In my pt's they have already had all their chemo and rads ( usually) and then the docs will use the the phrase "survival measured in months to weeks " This is considered good whereas "weeks to days" is not so good. An exact number is extremely unlikely- your credibility gets shot if it is less or more. Any way G*d bless you and keep you Mr. Swayze.
( A dear childhood friend of mine passed away from Ca Pancreas Dec 31 2006 He had six months frm time of dx. he was riding his bike in Cenral Park up to a wk b4 his death. I miss him muchly. I will never be able to visit the Hirschfeld cos my friend lived in the Astor Apts across the road.)