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Handicapped Duck

▲ Legend ▲
Avenger
May 20, 2018
13,662
Ponds
Fuck cancer, lost a lot of family members to it, with a few also living with it. I hope he is surrounded by friends and loved ones and his pain levels are managed. Jeopardy won't be the same without him.
 

menacer

Member
Dec 15, 2018
1,036
Despite the terrible diagnosis it's inspiring to see him still continue to do the job he loves while seeking treatment which should be an inspiration to all that cancer should and can be fought and doesn't always mean defeat.
 

Handicapped Duck

▲ Legend ▲
Avenger
May 20, 2018
13,662
Ponds
Obviously they won't, but they should cancel Jeopardy when he dies. You can't replace him. It will never be the same. It will be like when Bob Barker retired. Drew Carey ruined The Price is Right. It's unwatchable now.
I would be shocked if Sony cancelled Jeopardy. I see it having a final episode or maybe a couple final episodes that he taped, then a marathon, then reruns, before announcing a new host. Though I agree with you, Sony should just cancel the show upon his passing and just have reruns.
 

Strike

Member
Oct 25, 2017
27,358
Fuck. That's not good at all. I was thinking about when he was finally going to retire. This is looking like it might be it.
 
Oct 27, 2017
3,257
This makes me sad. He's been hosting Jeopardy since before I existed, it's hard to imagine the show without him. Been watching Jeopardy since I was really little. I'm hoping for the best for you Alex!
 

Powdered Egg

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
17,070
Nope. It's unnecessary to routinely check for pancreatic cancer because it's fairly rare and the diagnosis usually involves something expensive like a CT scan.
Unfortunately, due to where the pancreas sits and where tumors usually grow, they're asymptomatic. By the time symptoms arise, the tumor has grown into adjacent structures and is stage IV. There's no screening exam that you can do like pap smears, colonoscopy, mammogram to catch it early. It's a shitty shitty cancer
This is messed up.
 

PeskyToaster

Member
Oct 27, 2017
15,314
I just realized I don't really know what the stages of cancer actually mean. Like of course 1 is 'better' than 2 and so on but what's the dividing line between a stage?
 

Einbroch

Member
Oct 25, 2017
17,999
I just realized I don't really know what the stages of cancer actually mean. Like of course 1 is 'better' than 2 and so on but what's the dividing line between a stage?
It's generally how it has spread, the size of the tumor(s), and so on. Stage 1 is generally always local and often can be removed through surgery, stage 2 means it's advancing but still quite local, stage 3 means it's advanced quite a bit but still local, stage 4 means it's spread to many areas of the body.

My friends mom has cancer and this is how they explained it to him.
 

Braaier

Banned
Oct 29, 2017
13,237
This sucks. Hope he pulls through. If he is going to fight this I don't know how he continues to do the show. At some point he'll be too weak to do it
 

meowdi gras

Member
Feb 24, 2018
12,659
I'm not sure I'd call him a "hero". But cancer can just fuck off and I don't wish it on anyone. Hope he can somehow beat it.
 

daft_cat

Self-requested ban.
Banned
Oct 27, 2017
195
I'm not sure I'd call him a "hero". But cancer can just fuck off and I don't wish it on anyone. Hope he can somehow beat it.

An old man, accused of nothing, has an antiquated (but not necessarily disapproving) take on a modern progressive social movement. He shouldn't have said this, but also maybe not worth discussing in a thread about his effective death sentence.
 
Nov 27, 2017
1,289
I don't think they will cancel the show, and I don't think they should either. They need to try to find a new host. It won't be the same as Alex, but hopefully it'll be good enough. Jeopardy is its own niche as far as game shows go, and I think they need to do everything they can to keep it going. I always thought Ken Jennings would be a good replacement as some others have said, but it's probably not very likely.

Edit: I wonder if one of the Clue Crew would step up into the spot..?
 
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karnage10

Member
Oct 27, 2017
5,504
Portugal
Despite the terrible diagnosis it's inspiring to see him still continue to do the job he loves while seeking treatment which should be an inspiration to all that cancer should and can be fought and doesn't always mean defeat.
Feel free to not answer the following and if the mods see it as offensive do tell me and i'll delete this part.

I see a "lot of fighting cancer", as a non native english speaking is that an insult or a compliment? because where i'm from it feels like insult. These posts make it seem that if someone tries hard enough they can survive cancer which is not true at all. The prognosis of cancer usually depends on the histological type then the stage and lastly on the treatment. The patient at most can influence the treatment stage which to be honest, if the patient has the deadliest histological type AND stage 4 with metastasis the treatment won't matter much.
So the question is: do english speaking countries have a different approach to cancer? or is it that i'm translating too literal ?

I just realized I don't really know what the stages of cancer actually mean. Like of course 1 is 'better' than 2 and so on but what's the dividing line between a stage?
Doctor here. Do note that each cancer (as in each histological type) usually has their own classification so the following is the general idea.

Usually we doctors (in Portugal) use the TNM classification to understand it here it is the thought process.

Most of our organs have 3 layers: Mucosa, Muscularis and serosa.
T stands for tumor and characterizes the size of the original cancer:
  • T1= Invaded the mucosa but contained by muscularis
  • T2= Invaded the Muscularis but contained by serosa
  • T3= Invaded the serosa but did not spread to surrounding structures
  • T4= Invaded the contiguous structures
All of our tissues is drained by lymph vessels that go through lymph nodes, many cancers can spread this way so there is usually the following classification:
  • Nx= we don't know if nodes are affected
  • N0= cancer hasn't spread to lymph nodes
  • N1= few lymph nodes affected
  • N2= some lymph nodes affected
  • N3= most lymph nodes affected
We actually use a certain number for lymph nodes but that will depend on the cancer and classification
Lastly but the most important is the M which stands for metathesis
  • Mx= we don't know if there is metathesis
  • M0= no metathesis present
  • M1= metastasis present
Here in Portugal when people mention stage usually they are mentioning the T classification however do note that there are other classifications which can be used.
 

Maximus

Member
Oct 27, 2017
3,586
My guess is that Jeopardy is part of his identity, and he does not want cancer to take it away from him so abruptly.

Yea I thought about it more and figured that was the case after decades doing the show.

I think he just likes working... I remember seeing some Sunday Morning feature on him and he could have retired eons ago, but just enjoys it.

But still... I'd take one last trip wherever I wanted to go at this point and exit work immediately.

I get how someone may like working or it's a part of who they are, but at that point he may only have a limited time of where he is functional to enjoy the last bits of freedom and life before being low energy, sick, bed ridden, etc. He's already been through quite a bit of health related issues too.
 

Ambient80

The Fallen
Oct 25, 2017
4,620
Doctor here. Do note that each cancer (as in each histological type) usually has their own classification so the following is the general idea.

Usually we doctors (in Portugal) use the TNM classification to understand it here it is the thought process.

Most of our organs have 3 layers: Mucosa, Muscularis and serosa.
T stands for tumor and characterizes the size of the original cancer:
  • T1= Invaded the mucosa but contained by muscularis
  • T2= Invaded the Muscularis but contained by serosa
  • T3= Invaded the serosa but did not spread to surrounding structures
  • T4= Invaded the contiguous structures
All of our tissues is drained by lymph vessels that go through lymph nodes, many cancers can spread this way so there is usually the following classification:
  • Nx= we don't know if nodes are affected
  • N0= cancer hasn't spread to lymph nodes
  • N1= few lymph nodes affected
  • N2= some lymph nodes affected
  • N3= most lymph nodes affected
We actually use a certain number for lymph nodes but that will depend on the cancer and classification
Lastly but the most important is the M which stands for metathesis
  • Mx= we don't know if there is metathesis
  • M0= no metathesis present
  • M1= metastasis present
Here in Portugal when people mention stage usually they are mentioning the T classification however do note that there are other classifications which can be used.

Yep, all of this (Pathologist here, Howdy!). Most likely his T4 is from invasion of other organs (if I had to guess, likely liver). Like others have said, the real estate the pancreas occupies makes any carcinoma from there incredibly easy to metastasize because it's right beside other organs, lymphatic channels and blood vessels.

As far as I know, his exact type of pancreatic cancer has not been revealed. A lower grade neuroendocrine tumor may have a somewhat better prognosis (23% 5-year survival for Neuroendocrine, vs 3% for your common ductal adenocarcinoma). But, like I said I'm not sure they've gone into precisely the histologic type that he has.

EDIT: I'm definitely pulling for the guy, though. Someone on Twitter said he is one of the last people from long ago on TV that you just instantly recognize his voice and he's just a constant presence. Such an incredible void will be left on that show, if he passes away. Very, very sad :(
 
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GodofWine

Attempted to circumvent ban with alt account
Banned
Oct 26, 2017
2,775
This sucks...I used to sit and watch jeopardy with my mom every night as a kid, now Im 41 and I still watch this guy...I want him to beat it, and retire on his terms.
 

Transistor

Hollowly Brittle
Administrator
Oct 25, 2017
37,164
Washington, D.C.
Obviously they won't, but they should cancel Jeopardy when he dies. You can't replace him. It will never be the same. It will be like when Bob Barker retired. Drew Carey ruined The Price is Right. It's unwatchable now.
I dunno. It took him a long while but I think Carey found his groove on The Price is Right.

You gotta remember, too, that these shows are much more than their star personality. Cancelling the show would put a lot of people out of work, something I doubt Trebek would remotely want.
 

Br3wnor

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
4,982
I don't think they will cancel the show, and I don't think they should either. They need to try to find a new host. It won't be the same as Alex, but hopefully it'll be good enough. Jeopardy is its own niche as far as game shows go, and I think they need to do everything they can to keep it going. I always thought Ken Jennings would be a good replacement as some others have said, but it's probably not very likely.

Edit: I wonder if one of the Clue Crew would step up into the spot..?

Brad Rutter would be fucking perfect. He looks the part, is smug as shit and is very comfortable in front of the camera. Obviously also ties in well because he's the winningest Jeopardy player ever and has won some of the biggest tournaments. He's also pretty young so cohld stick around for a long time. I love Ken Jennings but I think he's a bit too dorky to be the next Trebek. He also does a lot of cool non jeopardy stuff that I'd like him to keep doing.
 
Nov 27, 2017
1,289
I see a "lot of fighting cancer", as a non native english speaking is that an insult or a compliment? because where i'm from it feels like insult. These posts make it seem that if someone tries hard enough they can survive cancer which is not true at all. \

It's not really an insult or a compliment. That's just the normal term for acknowledging you have a disease and indicating that you're not giving up. It's understood that there's only so much that a good attitude will contribute to your overall health (if anything), but it's a normal figure of speech. It's also sort of a form of encouragement.

Brad Rutter would be fucking perfect. He looks the part, is smug as shit and is very comfortable in front of the camera. Obviously also ties in well because he's the winningest Jeopardy player ever and has won some of the biggest tournaments. He's also pretty young so cohld stick around for a long time. I love Ken Jennings but I think he's a bit too dorky to be the next Trebek. He also does a lot of cool non jeopardy stuff that I'd like him to keep doing.

Yeah, Brad would be good too. Although I do wonder if past contestants would even be considered at all. On one hand, I think they would have the right attitude and understanding of the game. But then I guess there could be legal ramifications since they're all buddies with each other now and they might not any whiff of favoritism or influencing the game in anyway, with all of the returning all-star type games.
 

atamize

Avenger
Oct 28, 2017
904
It's not really an insult or a compliment. That's just the normal term for acknowledging you have a disease and indicating that you're not giving up. It's understood that there's only so much that a good attitude will contribute to your overall health (if anything), but it's a normal figure of speech. It's also sort of a form of encouragement.



Yeah, Brad would be good too. Although I do wonder if past contestants would even be considered at all. On one hand, I think they would have the right attitude and understanding of the game. But then I guess there could be legal ramifications since they're all buddies with each other now and they might not any whiff of favoritism or influencing the game in anyway, with all of the returning all-star type games.
Not sure how favoritism could come into play in a game like Jeopardy.

Ken: I'll take Potpourri for 400.
Brad: You sure about that, Ken? Wouldn't you rather DOUBLE that up to 800? *wink* *wink*
 
Nov 27, 2017
1,289
Well I don't mean it would ACTUALLY play into it. But just for the same reason that relatives can't take part in contests that companies are doing. There could be questions about maybe feeding questions ahead of time or things like that. I'm sure Alex's friends and relatives are not allowed to compete in Jeopardy.
 

hockeypuck

Member
Oct 29, 2017
739
Yep, all of this (Pathologist here, Howdy!). Most likely his T4 is from invasion of other organs (if I had to guess, likely liver).

As far as I know, his exact type of pancreatic cancer has not been revealed. A lower grade neuroendocrine tumor may have a somewhat better prognosis (23% 5-year survival for Neuroendocrine, vs 3% for your common ductal adenocarcinoma).

Pancreatic adenocarcinoma is so aggressive that it'll never get exophytic growth into the liver, only distant metastasis. It's not like T4 of colon cancer. T4 panc is invasion of portal vein, SMV, celiac axis, or hepatic artery. That's T4. There probably less than a dozen hospitals in the US that'll operate on T4NxM0, that's how bad T4 is, regardless of metastatic presence.

By the way, how do you know what his T score is, I only heard his stage during the announcement.

It's easy to surmise that he has adenocarcinoma rather than a pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor given that the median survival of well-differentiated stage IV PNET is 50 months. Even high grade stage IV has survival periods over a year. Not only are PNET even rarer than adenoCA, but PNET can be symptomatic sooner due to functional hormone secretion (like insulinomas, gastrinomas, and carcinoid syndrome).

It's understood that there's only so much that a good attitude will contribute to your overall health (if anything), but it's a normal figure of speech. It's also sort of a form of encouragement.
Researchers have studied patient pessimism in lung cancer and found that pessimistic patients died about 6 months sooner.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2854019/
 
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Ambient80

The Fallen
Oct 25, 2017
4,620
Pancreatic adenocarcinoma is so aggressive that it'll never get exophytic growth into the liver, only distant metastasis. It's not like T4 of colon cancer. T4 panc is invasion of portal vein, SMV, celiac axis, or hepatic artery. That's T4. There probably less than a dozen hospitals in the US that'll operate on T4NxM0, that's how bad T4 is, regardless of metastatic presence.

By the way, how do you know what his T score is, I only heard his stage during the announcement.

It's easy to surmise that he has adenocarcinoma rather than a pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor given that the median survival of well-differentiated stage IV PNET is 50 months. Even high grade stage IV has survival periods over a year. Not only are PNET even rarer than adenoCA, but PNET can be symptomatic sooner due to functional hormone secretion (like insulinomas, gastrinomas, and carcinoid syndrome).


Researchers have studied patient pessimism in lung cancer and found that pessimistic patients died about 6 months sooner.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2854019/

I mean, never is a strong word, I just diagnosed one less than a month ago on a patient via liver core biopsy.

I'm assuming T4 based on what others have said. I could be wrong, but being stage 4 I'm not sure it matters. It's not really a good thread to get into an academic semantic discussion, was just helping clarify things for folks who had questions.
 

EvilChameleon

Member
Oct 25, 2017
23,793
Ohio
Obviously they won't, but they should cancel Jeopardy when he dies. You can't replace him. It will never be the same. It will be like when Bob Barker retired. Drew Carey ruined The Price is Right. It's unwatchable now.

The Price Is Right is the highest rated show in daytime TV, just won an Emmy for best gameshow, and has been going on for 12 seasons without Barker.

Barker was incredible, but the show is doing just fine without him.
 

WizardofPeace

Member
Oct 27, 2017
969
I just realized I don't really know what the stages of cancer actually mean. Like of course 1 is 'better' than 2 and so on but what's the dividing line between a stage?

1. localized, very small region. Located in one area Ex. small spot on the pancreas
2. Once again localized, but the region that it infects is larger. Still located in one area Ex. still only located in the pancreas, but the infected area is larger
3. Large and has begun to expand outside of the original area. Ex. Breast cancer that has slightly spread to the lymph nodes
4. Cancer has spread to other areas of the body ex. breast cancer that has spread to lung, brain, pancreas. etc.

edit. I believe there is also a 3A and 3B. Where 3A means it hasn't actually left the original site but is about to, and 3B Means it has just left the original site.
 

WhySoDevious

Member
Oct 31, 2017
8,458
His cancer is in "near-remission"

In what Alex Trebek calls "kind of mind-boggling," the Jeopardy! host says he's in "near remission" three months after he announced his stage 4 pancreatic cancer diagnosis.

The cancer, still, has a 9 percent survival rate, but Trebek told PEOPLE for the magazine's new cover story, "The doctors said they hadn't seen this kind of positive result in their memory…some of the tumors have already shrunk by more than 50 percent."

That's very encouraging. I hope he beats this.
 

Roxsus

Member
Dec 8, 2017
233
He should spend time with family and friends instead of a TV show but if this is his choice who am I to talk. I pray he enjoy what time he has left and fuck cancer.
 

grang

Member
Nov 13, 2017
10,072
My heart sunk seeing this thread bumped, but oh what a great update. Incredible.
 

Ambient80

The Fallen
Oct 25, 2017
4,620

Sinnick

Banned
Feb 25, 2018
32
His cancer is in "near-remission"



That's very encouraging. I hope he beats this.

While it's good that he's remaining positive, I hope he doesn't get ahead of himself or make others think he's doing better than he really is. I don't think 50%+ shrinkage among some tumors would give someone a "near-remission" status...maybe "partial remission" and that's probably still being generous. Also, some cancers return more aggressively once treatment stops.
 

Whompa

Banned
Oct 26, 2017
4,254
His cancer is in "near-remission"



That's very encouraging. I hope he beats this.

As someone who had to watch his own boss pass to the same exact condition, this is very reminiscent of what happened in the early stages. Near miracle levels of tumor reduction...I really hope that it gets better for him, and that it doesn't spread to other places in his body...

It's so disheartening to see this. It makes me sick...I really hope he makes a recovery.
 

shtolky

Member
Oct 27, 2017
640
As someone who had to watch his own boss pass to the same exact condition, this is very reminiscent of what happened in the early stages. Near miracle levels of tumor reduction...I really hope that it gets better for him, and that it doesn't spread to other places in his body...

It's so disheartening to see this. It makes me sick...I really hope he makes a recovery.


This also happened to my father. Stage 4 pancreatic cancer. His tumors were shrinking and it looked like a miracle but then it went the other way. Lasted 14 months which is longer than most. I hope he beats it.
 

Br3wnor

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
4,982
While it's good that he's remaining positive, I hope he doesn't get ahead of himself or make others think he's doing better than he really is. I don't think 50%+ shrinkage among some tumors would give someone a "near-remission" status...maybe "partial remission" and that's probably still being generous. Also, some cancers return more aggressively once treatment stops.

Given that he's the one with cancer I don't think we're allowed to pass judgment on how he handles the treatment. As a cancer survivor nothing pissed me off more in the immediate aftermath than people telling me how I should be handling the disease. Every person's journey is different and if he wants to remain optimistic about this and share what he believes is good news then I don't think we really have a say in it.

Cancer is some dark, dark shit and sometimes all people have to give them motivation to keep living their life is to remain positive.
 

Ecotic

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
1,408
Pancreatic cancer is extremely hard to beat, if only a temporary victory. I'm really happy for him.