Patrick Swayze is holding on strong, although having cancer has been "hell on wheels", he said.

The "Dirty Dancing" actor - who was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer at the beginning of this year - says the chemotherapy treatment he has been receiving is the most grueling experience of his life.

"It's a battle zone I go through. Chemo, no matter how you cut it, is hell on wheels. But I'm still fine to work, I haven't changed - oh, I have changed, what am I saying?" Swayze told New York Times newspaper.

Swayze, 56, first became worried about his health last December when he had persistent indigestion and was feeling ill on a regular basis.

"After that all of a sudden real symptoms started showing up. You see it in the mirror and you go, 'OK better go get checked out,'" Swayze said.

 

Patrick Swayze has undergone revolutionary Cyberknife radiotherapy at California's Stamford University Medical Center, he is making a remarkable recovery from the illness.

When the actor was originally diagnosed with deadly disease, Swayze was reportedly given just weeks to live.

Swayze has recently gained around 20 lbs. on a diet comprised mainly of fruit and vegetables and muscle-building milkshakes.

Still, doctors cannot yet say he is completely free of the cancer. 

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