Dr. Oz Gives Major Update on ‘Golden-Hearted’ Friend and ‘Jeopardy!’ Host Alex Trebek’s Cancer Battle

Dr. Oz just gave an update about his friend Alex Trebek‘s cancer setback. The Dr. Oz Show host spoke about the Jeopardy! host’s condition Thursday, telling press his battle with stage 4 pancreatic cancer has taken a toll on the television personality.

“I spoke to Alex in Los Angeles. I mean he’s down,” Dr. Oz told Closer Weekly. “He’s struggling with the different forms of chemotherapy that are being offered to him but I told him, and I do believe this, he’s [a] soulful man who’s always been optimistic about life — keep his confidence. The longer he stays alive, the better able we are to catch up to his pancreatic cancer.”

He added he believes Trebek is staying strong.

“If you know Alex behind the scenes, he’s a golden-hearted man who is able to give so much to so many people and the passion and the support you see on Jeopardy! is what he does in person as well,” he continued. “I’ve always admired him. When I did my 1000th show, I asked for only one guest to surprise me and I didn’t think they’d get him, and it was Alex Trebek, and in fact he walked out and surprised me!”

Oz’s comments come a few days since Trebek gave a heartbreaking interview in which he admitted he is “nearing the end” of his life following a setback. The update came a month after the venerated television host said he finished chemotherapy, but had to restart after suffering a “dismal” setback. The television host was diagnosed with the disease in March.

“I’m not afraid of dying,” Trebek told CTV News’ Lisa LaFlamme at a University of Ottawa event last week. “I’ve lived a good life, a full life, and I’m nearing the end of that life… if it happens, why should I be afraid that?”

“One thing they’re not going to say at my funeral, as a part of a eulogy, is ‘He was taken from us too soon,’” Trebek added.

“So we’re back on the chemo and we’ll see if the numbers go down. And if they do… they can’t keep doing it forever of course,” he told LaFlamme. “They’ll have to find a new protocol or whatever to administer. We’ll play it by ear and keep chugging along until we either win or lose.”

Trebek revealed the setback in an interview with Good Morning America in September.

“I was doing so well, and my numbers went down to the equivalent of a normal human being who does not have pancreatic cancer, so we were all very optimistic. And they said good, we’re gonna stop chemo, we’ll start immunotherapy,” he said.

However, Trebek lost 12 pounds in a week and his numbers went “sky high – much higher than they were when I was first diagnosed, so the doctors have decided that I have to undergo chemo again,” he revealed.