NEED TO KNOW
Jerry Jones revealed that he was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer and battled the disease for 10 years when speaking with The Dallas Morning News in an interview published Aug. 13
The Dallas Cowboys owner shared that an experimental trial drug saved his life
Jones revealed that he has had four surgeries throughout his decade-long journey with skin cancer
Jerry Jones is opening up about his health.
The Dallas Cowboys owner, 82, revealed that he was diagnosed with stage 4 melanoma and battled the disease for 10 years, as detailed in an interview with The Dallas Morning News published Wednesday, Aug. 13.
The outlet reached out to Jones after watching Netflix’s eight-part Dallas Cowboys documentary, America’s Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys, which premieres Tuesday, Aug. 19.
In the series, Jones reportedly drops a “hint” that prompted them to ask about his medical history, according to the Dallas Morning News.
Jones also shared in his interview with the outlet that an experimental trial drug saved his life.
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Jerry Jones
“I was saved by a fabulous treatment and great doctors and a real miracle [drug] called PD-1 [therapy],” he told the outlet. “I went into trials for that PD-1 and it has been one of the great medicines.”
Jones added, “I now have no tumors.”
The NFL legend said he was first diagnosed with cancer in June 2010. Shortly after, he started treatment at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.
In the decade that followed, Jones shared that he underwent four procedures: two lung surgeries and two lymph node surgeries. He didn’t disclose when he started PD-1.
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Jerry Jones
A stage 4 diagnosis means that the skin cancer cells have metastasized to other parts of the body, according to the Melanoma Research Alliance. It is the most advanced stage of the disease.
The American Cancer Society states that patients with stage 4 melanoma have an estimated five-year survival rate of 35%, but this can range widely depending on individual circumstances.
With the recent advancement of drugs, however, a Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center study suggests people with advanced disease have a five-year survival rate of about 50%.
Jones’ mention of his cancer journey to The Dallas Morning News came amid a wider-ranging interview.
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Per the outlet, the football executive brings up the topic early in the fifth episode of America’s Team. He reportedly makes reference to undergoing cancer treatments at MD Anderson “about a dozen years ago.”
Netflix conducted over 40 hours of interviews with Jones during a two-year period for the Cowboys series.
The timing of the interview with Netflix in which Jones mentioned his illness is unclear.
Read the original article on People
