Alex Trebek Clarifies Comment About ‘Stopping Treatment’ Amid Pancreatic Cancer Battle

Alex Trebek said he’s not going to “stop all treatment” for his stage IV pancreatic cancer if his current regimen fails. While taking to Twitter on Wednesday, July 22, he clarified a quote from his book, The Answer Is … Reflections on My Life, which talked about him getting better.

“I feel the need to clarify my quote that, if my course of cancer treatment does not continue to work, I would consider stopping treatment. That quote from the book was written BEFORE my current regimen, and I was going through some bad times,” he explained in a statement. “My current numbers are very good, but we will have to be patient with this new immunotherapy program that I am on. But, if it were to stop being successful, I would return to my previous chemo treatment — NOT stop all treatment.”

A message from Alex: pic.twitter.com/8Nz9qAXtmc

— Jeopardy! (@Jeopardy) July 22, 2020

Alex, 80, then apologized for “any confusion” he might have given to his fans. The game show host also noted he’s “optimistic” about his current regimen and plans to follow it through.

Alex’s health update comes one week after he said he’s “doing well” amid his cancer battle. “I’ve been continuing my treatment and it is paying off,” he gushed in a clip shared by ABC News. “My numbers are good and I’m feeling great.”

The TV personality’s friends have also noticed a difference in his mood. Alex’s longtime friend Ruta Lee exclusively told Closer Weekly her pal is “managing quite well” amid the coronavirus pandemic. Although “there [are] times when his energy sags terribly” on Jeopardy!, Alex still finds a way to power through. In fact, he’s thankful the producers give him a 15-minute break every now and then.

But what’s really been keeping him up and running is the support he’s been getting from his wife, Jean Trebek. “Alex says he never would have been able to get through his cancer battle without Jean. There were some very dark days when he just wanted to give up, but she has a way of lifting his spirits,” an insider told Closer on March 11. “He says he’s only beaten the odds this long because of his wife’s daily support.”

Alex is not going to let cancer get the best of him!