Diagnosed with the condition in late 2007, Swayze spoke candidly about his symptoms and treatment, helping to raise awareness for the third most common cancer in the US.
The limited research, particularly back in 2009 when the star died, was due to the fact that many people who developed the disease typically didn’t survive.
In Swayze’s case, the cancer metastasized to his liver, and despite more than a year of chemotherapy and participation in an experimental drug trial, he was unable to beat the disease.
Acknowledging that he was “going through hell” after battling the condition for a year, this was just one instance of how Swayze discussed his cancer openly, including his treatment, thoughts, fears, and prognosis.
“There’s a lot of fear here,” Swayze continued. “There’s a lot of stuff going on. Yeah, I’m scared. Yeah, I’m angry. Yeah, I’m [asking] why me. Yeah, I’m all this stuff”.
After conducting his own research and disliking what he found, Swayze sought medical advice and was quickly diagnosed with a malignant tumor in his midsection, along with a small mass on his liver.
“[I] started realising this is not pretty. This is not a good thing,” Swayze said.
Hoping to keep his diagnosis private while he and his wife determined their next steps, tabloids discovered the actor’s life-threatening condition and incorrectly reported he had just five weeks to live.
Like 80 percent of pancreatic cancer patients, Swayze received his diagnosis after the disease had already metastasized.
This occurs because symptoms, including abdominal pain and unexplained weight loss, can be non-specific and attributed to other conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.the-express.com ’
