This news is awful. People who say "I hope he beats it" blessedly have no experience with pancreatic cancer. You not only don't have a chance of beating it if you get it, you will be dead within months of your diagnosis. A very dear friend of mine lost her mom AND sister to this. It's one of the most brutal illnesses I have ever seen happen to a family. Neither made it 5 months past diagnosis.

Alex Trebek is an institution. He is a huge part of what mostof is consider the experience of growing up in America ... a game show that has always been on, always been the same. It's a touchstone for us and he is a huge part of that. He will be very very missed.

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Anonymous wrote:Pancreatic cancer is seriously terrifying. One day you're fine, and then three months later you're dead.

It is absolutely terrifying. I wish they would come up with better markers/early detection, and of course treatment.

How about death from accidental injury? 165k Americans die that way every year. They don’t get 3 or 6 months. Or maybe not even hours.

THAT isn’t terrifying?


Risk factors for this disease include smoking, obesity, genetics, and diet. Chemical exposure, and above all....age.

By the way without knowing the exact terms of his disease, one cannot know how he will fare. If he has neuroendocrine cancer he may have several years of a rather indolent course. If he has favorable genetic data he may do better on therapies targeted to that. I wish him well!!

Hello Sally Sunshine......

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Anonymous wrote:How can any cancer be detected early? We have mammogram and papsmears and endoscopy and colonoscopy - for various kinds of cancer, but without symptoms how can cancer be detected early?

Scans.
Problem is if you too many high radiation scans you’re going to get cancer from that. Also, it costs a ton.
Some of these cancers are so fast moving it’s almost impossible to detect anything early, scans or not.

Some people’s pancreatic cancer gets detected early because a duct gets clogged so you have symptoms, but that’s not so common.

Also, neuroendocrine pancreatic tumors have a very slightly better outcome.

Anonymous wrote:So very sad. My entire family loves Jeopardy. We all scream answers at the tv together. The championship just ended on Tuesday night and this terrible news was announced less than a day later. I'm praying for a miracle.

For the wet noodles here who say what can he expect ...he's 78... man...I wouldn't want to be in your family. You lack empathy. Did you vote for Trump or something?

NP. What a rude and unnecessary comment. I'm a Trump voter and love Alex Trebek. Our family watches Jeopardy together every night. We are all very sad for him and for his family.

Really... does Trump have to factor into everything some of you think and say?

Anonymous wrote:How can any cancer be detected early? We have mammogram and papsmears and endoscopy and colonoscopy - for various kinds of cancer, but without symptoms how can cancer be detected early?

Scans.
Problem is if you too many high radiation scans you’re going to get cancer from that. Also, it costs a ton.
Some of these cancers are so fast moving it’s almost impossible to detect anything early, scans or not.

Some people’s pancreatic cancer gets detected early because a duct gets clogged so you have symptoms, but that’s not so common.

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Anonymous wrote:I also feel sorry for his wife and children. This is going to be so hard on so many levels. BTW - just saw a picture of his wife and she is gorgeous. 26 years younger than him but a truly stunning woman. They make a very nice looking couple.

So if he had been married to a woman his age, he would feel better about going?

Rude.

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Anonymous wrote:I also feel sorry for his wife and children. This is going to be so hard on so many levels. BTW - just saw a picture of his wife and she is gorgeous. 26 years younger than him but a truly stunning woman. They make a very nice looking couple.

So if he had been married to a woman his age, he would feel better about going?

What?

Anonymous wrote:I also feel sorry for his wife and children. This is going to be so hard on so many levels. BTW - just saw a picture of his wife and she is gorgeous. 26 years younger than him but a truly stunning woman. They make a very nice looking couple.

So if he had been married to a woman his age, he would feel better about going?

How can any cancer be detected early? We have mammogram and papsmears and endoscopy and colonoscopy - for various kinds of cancer, but without symptoms how can cancer be detected early?

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Anonymous wrote:Let's be honest, he is 78. He is also not being very realistic about this. Also, why not accept the diagnosis? Why fight so hard with that diagnosis and his age?

He lived a long good life.

78 is still youngish for many people. I was skiing in Utah last week with not only many septuagenarians but also many octogenarians as well. I'm always amazed when I ski out west every year how many folks have retired to the mountains and stay extremely young and fit hiking, mountain biking, skiing, etc. year-round. My ski instructor was in his late 60s!

Pancreatic cancer kills plenty of people much younger than Alex Trebek. And quite quickly. While I think the PP is being pretty rude, the fact remains there's very little chance he'll be around much longer. It's just how stage IV pc works. Patrick Swayze made it a year. So I guess we'll see.

Patrick made it 2 years (almost).

https://www.google.com/amp/s/abcnews.go.com/amp/Health/PatrickSwayze/patrick-swayzes-death-shows-tough-pancreatic-cancer/story%3fid=8583819

I think Pavarotti made it longer than a year, too.

14 months. So awful.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luciano_Pavarotti

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Anonymous wrote:Did you all watch the video where he announces his diagnosis?

Seriously gracious and so sad to hear.

I watched his announcement and I am praying that he is going to beat this like he says he's going to. He looks so good and healthy. I just can't believe that he could be so sick.

He plans to keep on working. He's amazing.

That struck me, too. He looks and sounds amazing. Please let him beat this.

That’s not how stage IV works. There is no cure. He cannot “beat it”.

We gave a friend who is 5 years out of treatment for stage iv colon cancer and he’s currently cancer free. It’s not likely but there are people living with stage iv cancer 10-20 years out which isn’t bad. Again, not likely but it does happen apparently. And for Alex that would be 88 - 98 and end of life anyway.

Colon and pancreas have very different outcomes.

Colon and pancreas aren’t specific kinds of cancers. It depends on the kind of cancer. Stage iv has already gotten out though (invaded the liver) so 5 years and cancer free is impressive. Colon is also nasty.

He doesn’t say what kind of pancreatic cancer he has. So - fingers crossed it’s a less aggressive kind. Fingers crossed for everyone that has this.

Trebek was scheduled to retire about a year ago. He must have decided to extend his work. I'm sure there are plans to go on with Jeopardy but I'm not sure it will work without Trebek. He is a legend in his own time. So sad.

The local contestant took a great risk and doubled her amount for final jeopardy. The winner did the same but added one dollar.

There will never be another show host like him.

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pancreatic cancer is seriously terrifying. One day you're fine, and then three months later you're dead.

It is absolutely terrifying. I wish they would come up with better markers/early detection, and of course treatment.

How about death from accidental injury? 165k Americans die that way every year. They don’t get 3 or 6 months. Or maybe not even hours.

THAT isn’t terrifying?


Risk factors for this disease include smoking, obesity, genetics, and diet. Chemical exposure, and above all....age.

By the way without knowing the exact terms of his disease, one cannot know how he will fare. If he has neuroendocrine cancer he may have several years of a rather indolent course. If he has favorable genetic data he may do better on therapies targeted to that. I wish him well!!

Okay, so? Yes, your scenarios are terrifying. That doesn't make a pancreatic cancer diagnosis less so. It's not a competition.

Thank you for taking the words out of my mouth.

Lost my mom in a car accident -- terrifying.
Lost my dad 6 months after stage IV pancreatic diagnosis -- terrifying.

God bless him.

I'm so sorry for all your loss.

I watch Jeopardy every night; tonight is so much sadder. I pray he has a better outcome than my beloved parent who died in just a few weeks.

One of the contestants tonight is a librarian from Silver Spring. Hoping she wins.