Patrick Swayze’s doctor and rep have spoken out to refute claims by media outlets today that the actor is near death.

It began when The National Enquirer reported that Swayze, best known for starring roles in “Dirty Dancing” and “Ghost,” had pancreatic cancer and was not expected to survive.

The tabloid said the 55-year-old actor was diagnosed in January and has been going to the Stanford Medical Centre to receive chemotherapy treatments, but they had been unsuccessful.

According to the Enquirer, the actor was told he had five weeks left to live.

Numerous media outlets picked up on the Enquirer’s claims, but doubt was cast on the reports by a “very good source” who reportedly told celebrity blogger Perez Hilton that Swayze has seemed fine in recent days.

“Patrick has been at rehearsals for a new cheerleading movie at Century City studio frequently lately, and he definitely does not look like he has five more weeks of life left. I’m not sure of his medical condition, but if he is gravely ill, he is hiding it very well,” the source said.

Now, Swayze’s doctor has confirmed that the actor has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer but the prognosis is good.

“Patrick has a very limited amount of disease and he appears to be responding well to treatment thus far,” Dr. Patrick George said in a statement. “All of the reports stating the time frame of his prognosis and his physical side effects are absolutely untrue. We are considerably more optimistic.”

The actor’s rep said: “Patrick is continuing his normal schedule during this time, which includes working on upcoming projects. The outpouring of support and concern he has already received from the public is deeply appreciated by Patrick and his family.”

Swayze recently filmed a pilot for an A&E cable network FBI series called “The Beast.”






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