Here come the damage control stories after the cat got let out of the bag yesterday that actor Patrick Swayze had terminal pancreatic cancer. Either that, or, it’s all just a cheap publicity stunt:

LOS ANGELES – Patrick Swayze’s doctor is “optimistic” about his prognosis for battling pancreatic cancer, and the “Dirty Dancing” actor’s upcoming cable pilot is still in contention to become a series.

With the writer’s strike over, the A&E pilot “The Beast,” starring Swayze as an unorthodox FBI agent, is being considered to be turned into a series by the cable network. If that happens, the “Dirty Dancing” and “Ghost” star hopes to continue to be part of the show, his representative Annett Wolf told The Associated Press on Wednesday.

Swayze has been undergoing treatment for the disease, Wolf confirmed in a statement. The National Cancer Institute estimates there will be 37,680 new cases of pancreatic cancer in 2008 with 34,290 deaths in the U.S.; only five percent of patients live more than five years after being diagnosed.

“Patrick has a very limited amount of disease and he appears to be responding well to treatment thus far,” Swayze’s physician Dr. George Fisher said in a statement released by Wolf. “All of the reports stating the timeframe of his prognosis and his physical side effects are absolutely untrue. We are considerably more optimistic.”

Wolf said Swayze, 55, shot “The Beast” pilot last December and isn’t currently working on any new projects. A&E issued a statement Wednesday stating “The Beast” was still in contention to become one of the network’s new original drama series and wished Swayze a speedy recovery.

Though Swayze has had dozens of film, TV and stage roles, he is best known for starring as dance instructor Johnny Castle opposite Jennifer Grey’s character, infatuated teenager Frances “Baby” Houseman, in “Dirty Dancing.”

The film, which centers on an unlikely romance between the pair at a 1960s resort in the Catskills of New York, defied expectations to become a massive hit and earned both actors Golden Globe Award nominations.
Swayze performed the song “She’s Like the Wind” for the movie’s soundtrack and his signature line, “Nobody puts Baby in the corner,” has become a pop culture staple.

“Dirty Dancing,” which also featured the Oscar-winning song “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life” — remains widely popular two decades later and is replayed almost constantly on TV in the United States.

Swayze went on to star alongside Demi Moore in the 1990 tear-jerker romance “Ghost,” which also became a huge box office hit and was nominated for an Academy Award for best picture.

Whoopi Goldberg won the Oscar for her supporting role as a spiritual medium who helps Swayze’s deceased character, Sam, communicate with his girlfriend from beyond the grave.

The Texas-born Swayze, whose dancer-choreographer mother owned a Houston ballet studio, began performing at an early age and got his start in show business as a dancer and on the stage before landing film and TV roles in Hollywood.

Swayze recently completed work on a pilot episode for a new television drama, “The Beast,” playing an FBI agent, which is in contention to become a new drama series on the A&E cable channel, the network said.

“At this time all our thoughts are solely with Patrick and his family. We are all wishing for a speedy recovery to a truly gifted actor,” A&E said in a statement.