By HENRY FREDERICK / Headline Surfer
ORLANDO, Fla. -- Congressman John Lewis joins a long list of prominent people who have succumbed to pancreatic cancer, including the likes of movie actor Patrick Swayze, rock musician Benjamin Orr of The Cars, and Dallas Cowboys football star Harvey Martin, to name a few.
Lewis, who died Friday night at age 80, had been battling Stage IV pancreatic cancer since December.
Pancreatic cancer is one of the most deadly and aggressive types of cancer in existence, with smoking as a significant contributor, though there are other factors too, such as heredity, obesity, diabetes, exposure to industrial chemicals, etc. Pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading cause of death among cancers, but is rare in people under the age of 40. Unlike a lot of other cancers, pancreatic cancer is a silent killer, which often goes undiagnosed until it's too late because the cancer may have already spread before the symptoms emerge.
Pancreatic cancer is one of the most deadly and aggressive types of cancer in existence, with smoking as a significant contributor, though there are other factors too, such as heredity, obesity, diabetes, exposure to industrial chemicals, etc. Pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading cause of death among cancers, but is rare in people under the age of 40. Unlike a lot of other cancers, pancreatic cancer is a silent killer, which often goes undiagnosed until it's too late because the cancer may have already spread before the symptoms emerge.
When patients do experience symptoms, they are often vague aches and pains, such as indigestion or back pain, that can apply to other illnesses. Unlike breast cancer or prostate cancer, there are no screening tools available for pancreatic cancer.
Only 8 percent of pancreatic cancer cases are diagnosed before the cancer has spread beyond the pancreas, according to the National Cancer Institute.
Pancreatic cancer accounts for about 3% of all cancers in the US and about 7% of all cancer deaths, according to the American Cancer Society, and is slightly more common in men than in women.
About 47,050 people (24,640 men and 22,410 women) will die of pancreatic cancer this year. It's among the cancers affecting the least number of individuals, but is deadly.
Those afflicted with pancreatic cancer have a very low low survival rate: 75 percent of patients die less than a year after diagnosis, and 95 percent die within five years, according to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network , an organization in Manhattan Beach, Calif., that espouses research and patient/family support.
Here is a cold hard fact: Pancreatic cancer it is among the most deadly of cancers. Approximately 95% of people with pancreatic cancer will die from it, according to NCI experts. Pancreatic cancer is so lethal because during the early stages, when the cancerous tumor growing inside the pancreas would be most treatable, there are usually no symptoms and therefore it grows undetected and then metastasizes (spreads to other organs in the body) and becomes inoperable.
It's mostly in advanced stages when abdominal pain or jaundice become apparent that a diagnosis is made when an individual seeks medical treatment for the pain and the source of it - but by then, it's too late, according to NCI experts.
Here is a cold hard fact: Pancreatic cancer it is among the most deadly. Approximately 95% of people with pancreatic cancer will die from it, according to National Cancer Institute experts. Pancreatic cancer is so lethal because during the early stages, when the cancerous tumor growing inside the pancreas would be most treatable, there are usually no symptoms and therefore it grows undetected and then metastasizes (spreads to other organs in the body) and becomes inoperable. It's mostly in advanced stages when abdominal pain or jaundice become apparent that a diagnosis is made when an individual seeks medical treatment for the pain and the source of it - but by then, it's too late, according to NCI experts.
Those afflicted with pancreatic cancer have a very low low survival rate: 75 percent of patients die less than a year after diagnosis, and 95 percent die within five years, according to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network , an organization in Manhattan Beach, Calif., that espouses research and patient/family support.
Alex Trebek was diagnosed with Stage 4 pancreatic cancer in March 2019. TMZ reported that the "Jeopardy!" host announced the news in a video posted to the game show's YouTube page.
Trebek, in an interview with Jane Pauley of CBS, said that it started with a pain in his stomach that wouldn’t go away, and the diagnosis was pancreatic cancer.
Earlier this month, Trebek, 79, gave an update regarding his cancer, stating chemotherapy is "paying off" and while he still feels fatigued, he's looking forward to resuming taping of "Jeopardy!" However, the show stopped taping in March due to the coronavirus pandemic and won't resume, with or without him, until the pandemic is over, the producers have said.
Of the literally hundreds of celebrities cited online as fatal victims of pancreatic cancer, Headline Surfer has chosen 10 for this story, including the above-referenced Patrick Swayze, Benjamin Orr, and Harvey Martin.
Rock Musician Syd Barrett - English singer, songwriter, and musician who co-founded the rock band Pink Floyd in 1965. As the band's frontman & primary songwriter, he appeared on the debut album The Piper at the Gates of Dawn (1967), and the second album A Saucerful of Secrets (1968). Barrett was ousted from the band in April 1968 amid speculation of mental illness and his excessive use of psychedelic drugs. He began a brief solo career in 1969 with the single "Octopus" and followed with two solo albums, The Madcap Laughs (1970) and Barrett (1970), recorded with the aid of several of his former bandmates. Pink Floyd recorded several tributes to him, including. the song suite "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" and the 1979 rock opera album,The Wall. In 1988, EMI released an album of unreleased tracks and outtakes, Opel, with Barrett's approval. In 1972, Barrett left the music industry for good, retired from public life and strictly guarded his privacy until his death. 
TV Comedian Jack Benny - Was host of the popular TV comedy show, The Jack Benny Program, from 1950 to 1965. Benny often portrayed a character who was a miser, who obliviously played his violin badly, and ridiculously claimed to be 39 years of age, regardless of his actual age. 
Movie Actress Joan Crawford - The legendary Hollywood actress got her first big break in 1928 during the silent movie era. She made 80 films over half a century, and won an Oscar for her role in Mildred Pierce. She was 69, according to the Los Angeles Times, though her birthdate isn't known for sure. 
TV / Movie Actor Fred Gwynne - The Hollywood actor was best known for his TV roles in the 1960s sitcoms Car 54, Where Are You? and as Herman Munster in The Munsters, as well as his later big screen movie roles in The Cotton Club, Pet Sematary, and My Cousin Vinny. He was twice married and the father of five children from the first marriage, the youngest a son who drowned when he was a toddler. Gwynn, whose height was a a towering 6 feet 6, is most remembered for his role as the zany Frankenstein-looking dad, Herman Munster, in The Munsters, from 1964-'66. 
TV Actor Michael Landon - Was an iconic actor known for his roles as Little Joe Cartwright in Bonanza (1959–1973), as Charles Ingalls in Little House on the Prairie (1974–1983), and as Jonathan Smith in Highway to Heaven (1984–1989). Landon, was so popular, he appeared on the cover of TV Guide 22 times, second only to Lucille Ball. He was still in the prime of his acting career when doctors Doctors diagnosed him with pancreatic cancer in April 1991. “I think you have to have a sense of humor about everything,” Landon said at the time. “If you’re going to try to beat something, you’re not going to do it standing in the corner.” 
NFL Player Harvey Martin - The four-time Pro Bowl selection starred for the Cowboys in the 1970s and highlighted his 11-year career by being the co-MVP of the 1978 Super Bowl. Since retiring in 1984, Martin struggled with substance abuse, domestic violence and bankruptcy, according to the Los Angeles Times. During the last years of his life, however, Martin turned his life around. But then he was diagnosed with Stage 4 pancreatic cancer and was dead within a year of the diagnosis.
Rock Musician Benjamin Orr - Co-founder and bassist for the rock/power pop/new wave band, The Cars, Orr was the vocalist for some of its biggest hits, such as "Just What I Needed," "Moving in Stereo," "Candy-O," "Let’s Go," and "Drive." He also scored a solo Top 40 hit with "Stay the Night." 
NASA Astronaut Sally Ride - In June 1983, at the age of 32, she became the first U.S. woman in space when she flew in the space shuttle Challenger. She was also the youngest U.S. astronaut to go into space. Ride was the third woman in space overall, after USSR cosmonauts Valentina Tereshkova (1963) and Svetlana Savitskaya (1982). Ride remains the youngest American astronaut to have traveled to space. While space travel was and still is a life-risking venture, it was pancreatic cancer that cut Ride's life short before early retirement age.
TV Actress Charlotte Rae - In an acting career spanning six decades, Rae was known for her portrayal of Edna Garrett in the sitcoms Diff'rent Strokes and its spin-off, The Facts of Life (in which she had the starring role from 1979–1986). She received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Best Actress in a Comedy in 1982. She also appeared in two Facts of Life television movies: The Facts of Life Goes to Paris in 1982 and The Facts of Life Reunion in 2001. But fighting pancreatic cancer was her greatest challenge - as victim and advocate, she survived it only to die from the onset of another cancer- bone cancer. 
Movie Actor Patrick Swayze - The Hollywood big-screen actor's breakthrough came in 1983’s The Outsiders, directed by Francis Ford Coppola. After that, he famously played Jennifer Grey’s dance teacher in the 1987 classic Dirty Dancing and Demi Moore’s departed love in Ghost. Ironically, playing a dead man in Ghost would be prophetic in real-life for Swayze, a confessed heavy smoker, who could not outlast pancreatic cancer. Swayze was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer 20 months before dying of the disease in 2009. FAST FACTS: Pancreatic Cancer (source: American Cancer Society):
Smoking is one of the most important risk factors for pancreatic cancer. The risk of getting pancreatic cancer is about twice as high among smokers compared to those who have never smoked. About 25% of pancreatic cancers are thought to be caused by cigarette smoking. Cigar smoking and the use of smokeless tobacco products also increase the risk. However, the risk of pancreatic cancer starts to drop once a person stops smoking.
Smoking is one of the most important risk factors for pancreatic cancer. The risk of getting pancreatic cancer is about twice as high among smokers compared to those who have never smoked. About 25% of pancreatic cancers are thought to be caused by cigarette smoking. Cigar smoking and the use of smokeless tobacco products also increase the risk. However, the risk of pancreatic cancer starts to drop once a person stops smoking.
Being very overweight (obese) is a risk factor for pancreatic cancer. Obese people (body mass index [BMI] of 30 or more) are about 20% more likely to develop pancreatic cancer. Gaining weight as an adult can also increase risk. Carrying extra weight around the waistline may be a risk factor even in people who are not very overweight.
Pancreatic cancer is more common in people with diabetes. The reason for this is not known. Most of the risk is found in people with type 2 diabetes. This type of diabetes is increasing in children and adolescents as obesity in these age groups also rises. Type 2 diabetes in adults is also often related to being overweight or obese. It’s not clear if people with type 1 (juvenile) diabetes have a higher risk.
Chronic pancreatitis, a long-term inflammation of the pancreas, is linked with an increased risk of pancreatic cancer. Chronic pancreatitis is often seen with heavy alcohol use and smoking.
Heavy exposure at work to certain chemicals used in the dry cleaning and metal working industries may raise a person’s risk for pancreatic cancer.
Daytona Beach Mayor Derrick Henry among leaders near & far paying homage to Congressman John Lewis, a civil rights titan, who has died at age 80
Henry Frederick is publisher of Headline Surfer, the award-winning 24/7 internet news outlet launched 12 years ago that serves greater Daytona Beach, Sanford & Orlando, Florida via HeadlineSurfer.com. Frederick has amassed more than a hundred journalism industry awards in print & online -- more than than all other members of the working press combined in Central Florida since the mid-1990s. He earned his Master of Arts in New Media Journalism with academic honors from Full Sail University in 2019. Having witnessed the execution of serial killer Aileen Wuornos in Florida's death chamber and other high profile cases, Frederick has appeared on national crime documentary programs on Discovery ID and Reelz for his investigative reporting and cops & courts breaking news stories.