Patrick Swayze Loses Battle with Pancreatic Cancer, Dead at 57

Patrick Swayze, star of such blockbusters as "Dirty Dancing" and "Ghost," died Monday (September 14), succumbing to a long battle with pancreatic cancer. Diagnosed in March 2008, Patrick Swayze outlived his original prognosis and became a symbol of hope and perseverance to cancer sufferers worldwide. Patrick Swayze was 57.

After seeing Swayze in movies like Francis Ford Coppola's "The Outsiders" and John Milius' "Red Dawn," some were shocked to see the young tough turned into a dancing instructor in "Dirty Dancing." But the shock wore off and "Dirty Dancing," a film that Jennifer Grey, Swayze's co-star would characterize as "a little film we thought no would ever see," would literally launch Patrick Swayze into the Hollywood stratosphere. Women loved him -- and men did not seem to have a problem with it.

Of course, movies like "Ghost" and "Roadhouse" would cement the bond Swayze seemed to have with both genders that enjoyed his movies. Tough, driven, masculine, but at the same time, caring, compassionate, loving, Patrick Swayze was a man's man and a woman's man as well.

Although he began receiving fewer roles in movies that resulted in box office success stories, Patrick Swayze remained popular, his movies often featured in weekend television line-ups. Swayze even started working on an original series for A&E called "The Beast" last year, prompting many to salute his bravery in the face of his cancer diagnosis.

Swayze also appeared on an Barbara Walters special on ABC to combat the rumors that he was at death's door. "Am I dying?" he rhetorically asked. "Am I giving up? Amy I on my deathbed? Am I saying goodbye to people? No way." Walters, in a conversation with Anderson Cooper after Swayze's death, said that the interview was conducted shortly after a chemotherapy treatment. Walters told Cooper that Swayze was a "fighter" and he had been excited about a new treatment he was to undergo. "But it's a deadly disease," she said. "He thought he could lick it. But I think, in his heart, he knew he couldn't."

With only a 4% survival rate (within 5 years), which is due primarily to its subtlety and advanced state when finally diagnosed, pancreatic cancer kills over 30,000 people every year. According to the National Cancer Institute, Patrick Swayze was young compared to many who suffer from pancreatic cancer. The average age at diagnosis is 72, of death, 73. The exact cause of pancreatic cancer is unknown, although diabetes, smoking, and obesity have been associated with the disease.

According to CNN, government statistics state that 42,470 Americans were diagnosed with the deadly cancer in 2009.

CNN also reported that shortly after Patrick Swayze's death, the trending topics on Twitter showed seven of the Top 10 centered around the popular actor.

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Sources:

"Anderson Cooper 360," CNN Television
SEER.cancer.gov
"Barbara Walters Special with Patrick Swayze: The Truth," ABC News