GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) – A local cancer expert is saying that while Alex Trebek’s prognosis may look bleak, his decision to keep working is “just what the doctor ordered.”
Earlier this week the longtime host of “Jeopardy!” announced that he’s been diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer.
Dr. Hassan Tahsildar, part of the Cancer Team at Bellin Health, says it’ll take some time before any progress can be detected.
“Where are we say three or four months from now,” he explains. “If the cat-scan shows [a] response to treatment.”
In terms of life expectancy, it varies.
Dr. Tahsildar says some patients take better to treatment, while others experience a quick decline.
“There are some patients that do very well for a while,” he says. “There are some patients that after one or two cycles of chemotherapy give up and they will stop treatment.”
On the average, he says someone diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in stage 4 will typically only have a year or two to live.
He says, like any other cancer, pancreatic cancer occurs when cells begin to grow out of control.
But, it’s not unheard of for patients to pass that mark and remaining active and continuing a normal lifestyle, as much as possible, is beneficial.
The benefits of staying active throughout treatment aren’t as much physical as they are mental.
The process of receiving cancer treatment can introduce a number of mental challenges and often times work, a daily routine, or an active lifestyle work to combat those effects.
“There are people who become depressed and they don’t want to do things,” explains Dr. Tahsildar.
Trebek has announced that he plans on continuing to host the game show and noted that he hopes to fulfill his contract, which runs through 2022.
“We encourage people to be active if they want to continue working and they can,” he says.
Nonetheless, the effects of treatment should have a noticeable impact on Trebek, which viewers may pick-up on soon.
“Number one sign is usually unintentional weight loss,” says Dr. Tahsildar. “Usually the patient says, ‘Oh yeah, I don’t have an appetite.’”
Beyond that, Trebek could be working through discomfort and pain associated with the process of receiving treatment.
