• “Jeopardy!” host Alex Trebek revealed in March that he has stage 4 pancreatic cancer.
  • Trebek told PEOPLE magazine that he’s responding well to chemotherapy, and that some this tumors have shrunk by more than 50%.
  • “The doctors said they hadn’t seen this kind of positive result in their memory,” he said.
  • Only about 3% of patients with stage 4 pancreatic cancer survive five years after being diagnosed.

“Jeopardy!” host Alex Trebek said that his doctors say he is ‘near remission’ in the stage 4 pancreatic cancer diagnosis that he revealed in March.

Trebek, 78, told PEOPLE magazine that he’s responding well to chemotherapy, and that some this tumors have shrunk by more than 50%.

“It’s kind of mind-boggling,” the TV personality said. “The doctors said they hadn’t seen this kind of positive result in their memory.”

Trebek said he still has several rounds of chemotherapy ahead, but he’s trying to stay positive with his results so far and hopes he can reach full remission.

Only about 3% of patients with stage 4 pancreatic cancer survive five years after being diagnosed, according to the American Cancer Society.

Read more: Alex Trebek opens up about his stage 4 pancreatic cancer: 'I'm fighting through it'

Trebek, who has been hosting "Jeopardy!" since 1984, said he has received an outpouring of support since announcing his diagnosis in March.

"I've got a couple million people out there who have expressed their good thoughts, their positive energy directed towards me and their prayers," he told PEOPLE. "I told the doctors, this has to be more than just the chemo, and they agreed it could very well be an important part of this."

Trebek has faced a number of health issues in the past, including heart attacks, a ruptured his Achilles tendon, and a full knee replacement.

He told Robin Roberts during an interview on ABC's "Good Morning America" earlier this month that he will spend the summer recovering so he can "get strong again."

"It is something that I am afflicted with," he said. "We are dealing with it chemically and spiritually, and those are positives. Hopefully, everything is going to turn out well and I'll be back on the air with original programming come this September."