"Dirty Dancing" star, Patrick Swayze who has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer is responding well to the treatment, according to his publicist, in spite of the rumors that he has only five more weeks to live.

Swayze’s publicist Annett Wolf announced on Wednesday that the 55-year-old actor was doing well and rejected all the tabloid reports that were saying he was in critical condition.

She issued a statement from Swayze’s physician, Dr. George Fisher who said: "Patrick has a very limited amount of disease and he appears to be responding well to treatment."

Fisher said in the statement: "All of the reports stating the timeframe of his prognosis and his physical side effects are absolutely untrue. We are considerably more optimistic," Reuters reports.

Wolf mentioned the fact that Swayze appreciated very much the "outpouring of support and concern" he received from the public.

Swayze got his breakthrough with the role of dance instructor Johnny Castle in the 1987 Dirty Dancing where he played opposite Jennifer Grey’s character, Frances “Baby” Houseman.

The film is set in the1960s in a resort in the Catskills of New York during the summer vacation of “Baby” and her family and revolves around the romance between the two.

The movie was a low-budget one made by a new studio and without major stars (at that time). Even so, it turn out to be a huge success earning $US 300 million worldwide.

It was the first movie ever to sell one million copies on home video and with the best selling soundtracks of all times, winning two multi-platinum albums and multiple singles, including, “(I've Had) The Time of My Life.”

Swayze received a Golden Globe Award nomination for his role and he also sang one of the songs from the soundtrack “She is like the Wind.”

Another winning movie for Swayze was the 1990 “Ghost” where he played along Demi Moore. The movie was a box office hit and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture.

In 1991 he played in a major action hit “Point Break”, alongside Keanu Reeves where he was cast as Bodhi, a leader of a gang of surfers who are also bank robbers.  

Born in Houston, Texas, to Jesse Wayne Swayze and choreographer and ballet school owner Patsy Swayze, Patrick started his career as a dancer form an early age and afterwards went on to star in Hollywood films.