Alex Trebek Offers Clarification On Cancer Treatment: “I’m Optimistic”

Alex Trebek is setting the record straight about his cancer treatment and his future. The longtime Jeopardy host is letting fans know that he’s not done fighting the Stage 4 pancreatic cancer he was diagnosed with last year, despite his comments in recent interviews.

While speaking with the New York Times last week, Trebek admitted that his treatment has been difficult, and he feels like giving up at times. “Yesterday morning my wife came to me and said, ‘How are you feeling?’ And I said, ‘I feel like I want to die.’ It was that bad,” he told the outlet. “There comes a time where you have to make a decision as to whether you want to continue with such a low quality of life, or whether you want to just ease yourself into the next level. It doesn’t bother me in the least.”

Trebek, who recently published his memoir, “The Answer Is…: Reflections on My Life,” also addressed his plans for the future in his book. “I’m going to stick with this current protocol, then that’s it,” he wrote, per Entertainment Tonight. “If it doesn’t work I’ll probably stop treatment. Quality of life was an important consideration.”

While both the interview and book excerpt had fans thinking Trebek was ready to end treatment if he didn’t see results soon, he clarified his comments with a statement released on Twitter today.

“That quote from the book was written BEFORE my current regimen, and I was going through some bad times,” he stated. “My current numbers are very good, but we will have to be patient with this new immunotherapy program that I am on. But if we were to stop being successful, I would return to my previous chemo treatment — NOT stop all treatment.”

“I apologize for any confusion and want everyone to know that I am optimistic about my current plan,” he continued. “And thank them for their concerns.”

Trebek’s statement comes just days after he appeared in a Good Morning America interview to discuss his memoir and his cancer battle. At the time, he told GMA anchor T.J. Holmes that he’s currently undergoing an experimental treatment, but won’t go to any “extraordinary measures to ensure my survival.”

“If the quality of life is not there, it’s hard, sometimes, to push and just say, ‘Well, I’m going to keep going even though I’m miserable,” he said.

Still, Trebek told Holmes that his treatment is “going in the right direction.” “I’m on the right track,” he said.

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