Host Alex Trebek told fans he will continue to fight and "beat the low survival rate statistics."

Alex Trebek, the longtime host of "Jeopardy!," plans to beat the low survival rate of pancreatic cancer.

Patients diagnosed at stage 4 live an average of 12 to 15 months, said Dr. Timothy Donahue , professor of surgery, chief of surgical oncology and a pancreatic surgeon at UCLA.

It's also not unusual to receive a late diagnosis after the cancer has spread from the pancreas, Weiss said, as half find out they have reached an advanced stage.

The pancreas releases enzymes that aid digestion and produces hormones that help manage the body’s blood sugar.

An early warning sign of pancreatic cancer is diabetes coupled with weight loss, jaundice and pain in the upper abdomen, according to the Mayo Clinic.