“Jeopardy!” host Alex Trebek says he has had a setback in his battle with pancreatic cancer and is undergoing chemotherapy again.
Trebek told ABC’s “Good Morning America” on Sept. 17 that after a short period of optimism when he stopped chemotherapy, his “numbers shot up” and doctors ordered him back on the treatment.
“I lost about 12 pounds in a week. And my numbers went sky high, much higher than they were when I was first diagnosed. So, the doctors have decided that I have to undergo chemo again and that’s what I’m doing,” Trebek said.
The 79-year-old game show host announced in March that he has advanced pancreatic cancer. But he hasn’t missed a day on the show, which tapes episodes in advance.
Trebek said his goals for the summer were to get his strength and hair back, and his progress on both fronts was dismal.
There have been no changes to this season’s taping and production schedule, producer Sony Pictures Television said.
Trebek is taping the Tournament of Champions shows Tuesday and Wednesday as planned. Those episodes, with last season’s star James Holzhauer among the 15 contestants, will air Nov. 4-15.
So far, 40 episodes have been taped out of the 230 planned. “Jeopardy!” typically has a compressed shooting schedule which, as Trebek has said, gives him long breaks.
Trebek said he didn’t feel terrible, although he had fatigue and occasional pain in his back.
“There are moments when, for no reason at all, I feel this surge of sadness, depression,” he said. “It doesn’t last for very long, but it takes over your whole being for a period of time.”
While he’s concerned about what his passing would mean for his loved ones, Trebek said he’s not afraid of what lies ahead.
“I realize that there is an end in sight for me, just as there is for everyone else. One line that I have used with our staff in recent weeks and months is that when I do pass on, one thing they will not say at my funeral is, ‘Oh, he was taken from us too soon. Hey guys. I’m 79 years old. I’ve had one hell of a good life. And I’ve enjoyed it,” he said.
“The thought of passing on doesn’t frighten me, it doesn’t. Other things do, the effect it will have on my loved ones … it makes me sad. But the thought of myself moving on, hey folks, it comes with the territory.”
“Now, just like 50,000 other people in the United States each year, this week I was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer,” he said.
“Now, normally the prognosis for this is not very encouraging, but I’m gonna fight this, and I’m gonna 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.”
Epoch Times reporter Zachary Stieber contributed to this report.