Patrick Swayze | Celebrity Mound

Patrick Swayze: I’m Responding Well to Treatment

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May 282008

Patrick Swayze is sharing his “great news” with PEOPLE: His positive response to treatment for pancreatic cancer has allowed him to live a full and busy life.

In addition to attending a Lakers game over the weekend, the Dirty Dancing star has traveled, socialized and on Monday got in birthday shopping for wife Lisa, ordering a diamond pendant from a jeweler friend in Nevada.

In an exclusive statement to PEOPLE readers, Swayze says:

“Thought I’d give you guys a little update. Lisa and I have been back and forth from New Mexico enjoying the arrival of spring and new baby calves. This past weekend, we spent a fun time with friends in Reno for Lisa’s birthday, where I took her jewelry shopping at Kenny G & Company and (we) were able to find her something really special and much deserved! In the meantime, I am continuing treatment at Stanford and the great news is I continue to respond well.”

Swayze, 55, who announced in March he had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, is undergoing treatment at Stanford University Medical Center.

Patrick Swayze & Wife Lisa Catch a Lakers Game

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May 262008

Patrick Swayze and his wife Lisa were two famous faces in the crowd Friday as the Los Angeles Lakers beat the San Antonio Spurs 101-71 during Game 2 of the NBA Western Conference playoff series at L.A.’s Staples Center.

Swayze, 55, revealed in March that he has pancreatic cancer. But last month the star of Dirty Dancing and Ghost released a statement with his wife, telling PEOPLE his treatment is going well. “We’re thrilled and grateful for the positive response Patrick has shown towards his treatment,” the couple said.

“He has very strong willpower and he’s a very determined individual,” his sister-in-law Dr. Maria Scouros, a Houston oncologist, said at the time. “He’s bringing all that energy to bear on it.”

Patrick Swayze ‘Thrilled’ by His Response to Cancer Treatment

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Apr 092008

Patrick Swayze has had an “excellent” response to treatment for pancreatic cancer, the actor and his doctor said Tuesday.

“We’re thrilled and grateful for the positive response Patrick has shown towards his treatment,” the Dirty Dancing star and wife Lisa Niemi tell PEOPLE.

“Also, we can’t help but feel that all the prayers, meditations and good thoughts sent his way by everyone has made a difference. Thank you!” said the couple.

His physician, Dr. George Fisher, added: “Patrick Swayze continues to respond well to his treatment for pancreatic cancer. Because of his excellent response, he will continue the same therapy at Stanford.”

Swayze, 55, announced last month he had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, one of the most serious of the cancers. He has been undergoing chemotherapy but not radiation treatment, according to his rep.

Whoopi: Patrick, We’ll Talk Soon

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Mar 062008

View co-host Whoopi Goldberg had nothing but warm wishes for her Ghost co-star Patrick Swayze, whose rep confirmed yesterday that he has cancer.

“When I won my Academy Award, the only person I really thanked was Patrick,” Whoopi said.

Whoopi explained that she nabbed the role opposite Patrick in the 1990 film because he said to director Jerry Zucker, ” ‘I’m not making this movie unless you put Whoopi in it.’ I won an Oscar because of Patrick Swayze.”

View co-host Barbara Walters added her own memory of Patrick, from when she interviewed him and they danced. Whoopi closed the segment optimistically, saying, “We want you to feel better, we’ll talk soon I hope.”

Lea Thompson: Patrick Swayze “Will Be Resilient”

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Mar 062008

Actress Lea Thompson is optimistic about her former co-star Patrick Swayze, who announced yesterday that he is battling pancreatic cancer.

“I’ve known him for so long, he’s a great guy, and I love him so much,” Thompson told Usmagazine.com last night at the Alzheimer’s Association’s 16th annual “A Night at Sardi’s” fundraiser in L.A.

The two co-starred in the 1984 action movie Red Dawn.

“He was such a great dancer,” she added. “He will be resilient — us dancers are tough!”

Swayze got some good news from A&E Wednesday: His new pilot The Beast (Swayze plays an unorthodox FBI agent) “is in contention to become one of the new drama series on the network,” an A&E rep said in a statement to Us.

“However, at this time all of our thoughts are solely with Patrick and his family. We are all wishing for a speedy recovery to a truly gifted actor.”

Although earlier reports speculated Swayze, 55, may only have five weeks to live, his physician, Dr. George Fisher, told Us: “All of the reports stating the timeframe of his prognosis and his physical side effects are absolutely untrue. We are considerably more optimistic.”

“Patrick has a very limited amount of the disease, and he appears to be responding well to treatment thus far,” Dr. Fisher added.

Page Six Calls Patrick Swayze’s Rep A Liar

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Mar 062008

A MONTH ago, Page Six called publicist Annett Wolf about a tip we had that Patrick Swayze had terminal pancreatic cancer. The fork-tongued flack not only denied the story, but said the “Dirty Dancing” star had checked into Stanford University Medical Center over the Feb. 2 weekend merely for a “gastrointestinal procedure” and was “home and happy.” Yesterday, after the National Enquirer reported Swayze has “five weeks to live,” Wolf admitted he indeed has terminal cancer – but actually blamed her suffering client for deceiving us. “Well, at the time I was telling you the truth. I didn’t know he had cancer,” Wolf howled. “And isn’t it up to him to tell the world he has cancer when he wants to?” Professional publicists avoid lying to reporters by declining to comment. Wolf is banished to our Liars’ Corner. Don’t trust anything she says about her other clients: Nicolas Cage, Debra Messing, Laura Dern, Taye Diggs, Felicity Huffman and Kiefer Sutherland.

Swayze Projects Continue Despite Cancer

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Mar 062008

Patrick Swayze’s doctor is “optimistic” about his prognosis for battling pancreatic cancer, and the “Dirty Dancing” actor’s upcoming cable pilot is still in contention to become a series.

With the writer’s strike over, the A&E pilot “The Beast,” starring Swayze as an unorthodox FBI agent, is being considered to be turned into a series by the cable network. If that happens, the “Dirty Dancing” and “Ghost” star hopes to continue to be part of the show, his representative Annett Wolf told The Associated Press on Wednesday.

Swayze has been undergoing treatment for the disease, Wolf confirmed in a statement. The National Cancer Institute estimates there will be 37,680 new cases of pancreatic cancer in 2008 with 34,290 deaths in the U.S.; only five percent of patients live more than five years after being diagnosed.

“Patrick has a very limited amount of disease and he appears to be responding well to treatment thus far,” Swayze’s physician Dr. George Fisher said in a statement released by Wolf. “All of the reports stating the timeframe of his prognosis and his physical side effects are absolutely untrue. We are considerably more optimistic.”

Wolf said Swayze, 55, shot “The Beast” pilot last December and isn’t currently working on any new projects. A&E issued a statement Wednesday stating “The Beast” was still in contention to become one of the network’s new original drama series and wished Swayze a speedy recovery.

Patrick Swayze Has Cancer

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Mar 062008

Dirty Dancing star Patrick Swayze has been diagnosed with terminal cancer and might only have weeks to live, a rep for the star said today.

The 55-year-old star’s publicist confirmed to Page Six that he’s suffering from pancreatic cancer.

“Actor Patrick Swayze has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and is currently undergoing treatment,” his rep said in a statement. “Patrick’s physician Dr. George Fisher states, ‘Patrick has a very limited amount of disease and he appears to be responding well to treatment thus far. All of the reports stating the timeframe of his prognosis and his physical side effects are absolutely untrue. We are considerably more optimistic.’ Patrick is continuing his normal schedule during this time, which includes working on upcoming projects. The outpouring of support and concern he has already received from the public is deeply appreciated by Patrick and his family.”

On February 5, Page Six reported that the Ghost star underwent a serious “gastrointestinal procedure” at Stanford University Medical Center. At the time, his spokesperson said that the treatment went well and he was “home and happy” following the procedure.

Patrick recently wrapped filming on the A&E TV pilot The Beast, and Page Six has obtained a statement from the cable channel regarding the show’s future.

“A&E recently completed a pilot with Patrick Swayze called The Beast, which is in contention to become one of the new drama series on the network. However, at this time all of our thoughts are solely with Patrick and his family. We are all wishing for a speedy recovery to a truly gifted actor,” the network states.

Patrick was diagnosed with the cancer more than a month ago. The average life expectancy is six to nine months, with only 4 percent of patients living more than five years.