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- "Jeopardy!" host Alex Trebek revealed in a video message on Wednesday that he had been diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer.
- "Now normally, the prognosis for this is not very encouraging, but I’m going to fight this, and I’m going to keep working," Trebek said.
- Trebek has hosted the long-running game show since 1984 and recently renewed his contract through 2022.
"Jeopardy!" host Alex Trebek said on Wednesday that he had been diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer.
Trebek revealed the diagnosis in a video message.
His full statement is below:
"Hi everyone, I have some news to share with all of you and it’s in keeping with my longtime policy of being open and transparent with our Jeopardy! fan base. I also wanted to prevent you from reading or hearing some overblown or inaccurate reports regarding my health. So therefore, I wanted to be the one to pass along this information.
Now, just like 50,000 other people in the United States each year, this week I was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer. 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. 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."
Trebek has hosted the long-running and popular game show "Jeopardy!" since its daily syndicated version began in 1984. In October, Trebek renewed his contract for the show through 2022.
Trebek holds the Guinness World Record for the most game show episodes hosted by the same person, and has won five Daytime Emmy awards for best game show host, according to the show’s official website.
According to the American Cancer Society, the five-year relative survival rate for stage 4, or "distant," pancreatic cancer is 3%, based on those diagnosed between 2008 and 2014. It defines "distant" cancer as that which has spread to distant parts of the body, such as the lungs or liver.
Watch Trebek’s message below:
This story is developing…
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Source: Business Insider – tclark@businessinsider.com (Travis Clark)