Steve Jobs was not the first to die of this disease among the reverred celebrities in the U.S, now the fourth leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the country. Other leading celebrities who died of the illness include Hollywood celebrities Michael Landon, Patrick Swayze, Luciano Pavarotti, and Nobel Prize winner Ralph Steinman.

The National Cancer Institute estimated new cases estimated at 44,030 and deaths numbering 37,660 were all due to pancreatic cancer in the United States in 2011.

Survival rate is poor compared with that of the other type of cancer because it is usually diagnosed at an advanced stage.

The American Cancer Society statistics showed that for all stages of pancreatic cancer combined, the one-year relative survival rate is about 20%, while the five-year rate is about 4%. Low survival rate can be attributed to the fact that less than 20% of patient's tumors are confined to the pancreas at the time of diagnosis. More often than not, the malignancy has progressed to a point where surgical removal is no longer possible, Hirshberg Foundation reports.

In cases wherein re-section can be performed, average survival rate is said to be at 18 to 20 months. The overall five-year survival rate is approximately at about 10% but this may increase to as high as 20 to 25% if the tumor has been completely removed and the cancer has not spread to lymph nodes.

Steve Jobs Hollywood Cancer