Jeopardy host Alex Trebek has been diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer.
The 78-year-old broke the news ina video messageWednesday.
"I have some news to share with all of you, and it's in keeping with my longtime policy of being open and transparent with our Jeopardy fan base," Trebek says. "I also wanted to prevent you from reading or hearing some overblown or inaccurate reports regarding my health. So therefore, I wanted to be the one to pass along this information. Now, just like 50,000 other people in the United States each year, this week I was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer."
Stage 4 cancer means the disease has spread to other parts of the body. The cancer typically can't be cured at that stage, but it can be treated.
Trebek acknowledges that the survival rate for pancreatic cancer is low, but says "I'm going to fight this, and I'm going to 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."
The host even makes a wry joke, noting he has three years left on his current Jeopardy contract.