Report: Patrick Swayze Gets Support From Hollywood Friends in Cancer Battle

Hollywood has been sending actor Patrick Swayze messages of support ever since news broke that Swayze was fighting a tough battle with pancreatic cancer, Britain's Telegraph newspaper is reporting.

"It is so sad," Swayze's "Dirty Dancing" co-star, Jennifer Grey, said, according to the Telegraph. "If I saw him on the streets today, I'd throw my arms around him and love him up."

The Telegraph said Whoopi Goldberg, who starred with Swayze in "Ghost," had this to say before blowing a kiss: "We want you to feel better and we will talk soon, I hope."

The National Enquirer broke the news of Swayze's cancer on Wednesday, and a representative of the actor late confirmed the diagnosis but said doctors are optimistic about his treatment for the typically fatal disease.

Caught in its advanced stages, pancreatic cancer, which strikes about 30,000 people a year, has a less than 5 percent survival rate for five years. If caught early and treated aggressively with surgery and chemotherapy — and if the cancer has not spread to lymph nodes — the five-year survival rate can go as high as 17 to 25 percent.

Photo Essay

Earlier: Patrick Swayze Diagnosed With Pancreatic Cancer

Click here for the story from the Telegraph.