Patrick Swayze, who glided across a big-screen dance floor to superstardom in 1987's Dirty Dancing and uttered the classic phrase "Nobody puts Baby in a corner," has been diagnosed with a deadly cancer. Late Wednesday afternoon, Swayze's publicist, Annett Wolf, issued a statement confirming that the actor is being treated for pancreatic cancer. CANCER EXPERTS: Swayze has difficult road ahead FORUM: Cancer patients, survivors and loved ones share their experiences The disease is often considered a death sentence, but Wolf's statement included comments from Swayze's Stanford Cancer Center physician, George Fisher, indicating a far less dire prognosis: "Patrick has a very limited amount of disease and he appears to be responding well to treatment thus far." Swayze's publicist added: "Patrick is continuing his normal schedule during this time, which includes working on upcoming projects. The outpouring of support and concern he has already received from the public is deeply appreciated by Patrick and his family." The actor has been busy shooting a pilot for A&E. Dan Silberman, the network's vice president for publicity, released a statement late Wednesday saying that the network recently completed a pilot with Swayze called The Beast. The show "is in contention to become one of the new drama series on the network," he said. "However, at this time all of our thoughts are solely with Patrick and his family. We are all wishing for a speedy recovery to a truly gifted actor." Swayze and his wife, Lisa Niemi, have been married since 1975 and met when she was a student of his mother, Patsy, a choreographer. His actor brother Don is expected to co-star with him in the movie drama Powder Blue, scheduled for release this year. Many of Swayze's roles have capitalized on the classically trained dancer's physique and stamina. He has portrayed a bouncer (1989's Road House), a surfing and skydiving bank robber (1991's Point Break) and a voluptuous drag queen (1995's To Wong Foo Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar). Even his role as a spirit in 1990's Ghost opposite Demi Moore and Whoopi Goldberg was physically demanding. The confirmation follows an Internet report that first appeared Wednesday morning from the National Enquirer. The early report said that Swayze only had five weeks to live. Enlarge Ghost: His role in the 1990 film with Demi Moore helped solidify his stardom. Conversation guidelines: USA TODAY welcomes your thoughts, stories and information related to this article. Please stay on topic and be respectful of others. Keep the conversation appropriate for interested readers across the map.