Patrick Swayze denies "near death" rumors

Los Angeles, December 3:With rumors running rampant that Patrick Swayze’s cancer has spread and that he is on the verge of dieing, the actor announced Tuesday that he is not near death, instead he is winning his battle against pancreatic cancer.

In a statement yesterday, the "Dirty Dancing" star, who was diagnosed with an aggressive form of pancreatic cancer early in the year, abruptly denied tabloid stories that he is near death.

"Pancreatic cancer is an aggressive disease and from the moment I was diagnosed, I knew I was in for the fight of my life," he said. "It's a battle, and so far, I've been winning. I'm one of the lucky few that respond well to treatment."

Last week, several media reports surfaced saying that the 56-year-old actor's cancer had spread to his liver and, even more morbidly, that he had only few days to live.

But, Swayze responded angrily to all those tabloid claims, affirming that so far he is winning his fight against the disease and responding well to treatment.

"The only thorn in my side being that many tabloids have been consistently reporting lies and false information about me and those close to me," Swayze said.

"They're reporting that I'm on my last legs and saying goodbye to my tearful family! ... It's upsetting that the shoddy and reckless reporting from these publications cast a negative shadow on the positive and good fight I'm fighting."

Further Swayze stated he was home with his family for the holidays after finishing work on new A&E FBI drama "The Beast."

On the one hand Swayze has fired back at media outlets that have been reporting negatively on his fight against the cancer, while on the other he has thanked everyone who's contributed positively, saying he appreciates "all the love and support people have sent and continue to send my way. I thank you."

Swayze was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in March, and is undergoing treatment for the disease. Pancreatic cancer is the most fatal but unfortunately, the least acknowledged of all cancers. Research on the disease receives far less funding and attention from the National Cancer Institute as compared to other cancers.

According to the American Cancer Society’s estimates, nearly 35,000 citizens will die of pancreatic cancer in the U.S. this year. The disease is said to have a very low survival rate of just 5 per cent. The seriousness of pancreatic is owing to its hard detection, easy metastasis and resistance to corrective therapies.

The Texas-born Swayze has starred in dozens of film, TV and stage roles, and is best known for his romantic roles in the surprise movie hits Dirty Dancing (1987) and Ghost (1990). His other hits include ‘Point Break’ and ‘Road House’.